Magnets
by SnowKoyuki13
Summary: Booth's cousin, Lexi, comes to work at the Jeffersonian. She and Zach don't seem like a very compatible couple, but maybe, just maybe, these two opposites will attract. Not that there isn't anything standing in their way. ZachxOC
1. The Cousin in the Lab

Booth sauntered into the Jeffersonian one morning, unusually happy. Especially considering the fact that Bones had asked him to come in early that day.

"Why are _you _so happy?" Angela asked, smiling when the FBI agent came her way on the forensics platform.

Booth grinned like a child who had just been given a chocolate bar. "My younger cousin is coming here to work as another one of Bones's assistants. She's supposed to arrive today. Around 23 , kinda short, choppy, black hair, around 5'2..." He stopped when Bones walked onto the platform.

"Hey, Bones! You hear about your new assistant?" Booth asked.

She nodded and instantly began to converse with Angela.

"I'm going to need that facial reconstruction as soon as possible and-"

"What the HELL are you two doing?"

_

* * *

Earlier that morning..._

Dr. Zach Addy arrived at the Jeffersonian that day, carrying his messenger bag and a cup of coffee. He sipped a bit and frowned. "_The barista said this was supposed to be good..." _

He was too distracted by the terrible taste of the coffee that he hadn't noticed the woman who was walking the opposite direction.

She had short black hair that hung around her face. She was wearing a blue lab coat over her distressed jeans and long-sleeved blue-green shirt.. She was also off in a world of her own, because she didn't notice Zach at all.

And, just like that, Lexi had managed to get lost, run into somebody, and spill coffee all over herself within her first half hour at the Jeffersonian.

The brown stain covering her lab coat, and probably the clothing underneath as well, was a combination of her own coffee and the 'disgusting' coffee that had previously belonged to Zach. He was staring at her in shock.

"Ah...I'm sorry. I was rather distracted by the taste of the coffee I had been drinking. It appears that you, as well, weren't paying any attention, because you would have been able to avoid me if you had been. And now..." He didn't bother finishing his sentence. It was clear that this woman had drinks all over her.

She laughed. "Um, it's fine... Dr. Addy." She read it off of his blue lab coat and looked down at the white embroidery on her own.

"Dr. Alexandra Perlind. Call me Lexi. Pleased to meet you, Dr. Addy... " She held out her hand for a shake, which was accepted.

"Zack. I'm sorry for having soiled your lab coat. You may borrow one of mine for the time being. I always keep an extra..." He reached into his bag and pulled it out. "I'll wash yours for you as well."

She smiled and pulled her coat off, handing it over to Zach and taking his. It didn't really bother her about wearing his name around all day. Lexi wondered why.

"If that's all, I suppose I should be going." Zach started walking past her.

"Wait!" She called, following after him. "Could you please direct me to the forensics department?"

"I'm headed there right now. If you follow me, you'll find your way."

Lexi nodded and sped up to catch up to Zach.

He frowned. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you trying to get to the forensics department, anyways?"

"I'm going to be working there for the time being. Also, my older cousin, he's an FBI agent who works with them in catching murderers, and-"

"Booth is your cousin?" Zach inquired, cutting off Lexi halfway through her sentence.

She nodded and grinned up to him. He was quite a bit taller than her, like most people- men especially. Lexi wasn't very tall.

"Hmm." Zack muttered, thinking. He noticed a thin white strip at the top of the chest pocket in the lab coat she had borrowed.

"Oh, I left my access card in that jacket." He reached over to pull it out as they neared the platform.

"What the HELL are you two doing?"

* * *

It looked bad. It looked really, _really _bad (at least in Booth's eyes). There Zach was, reaching over into the _chest _pocket of Booth's younger cousin. Neither of two involved saw anything wrong, so Zach finished pulling the card out, swiped it, and allowed both himself and Lexi onto the platform.

"Seeley!" Lexi cried, running over to Booth and hugging him.

He smiled and hugged her back, seeming to have forgotten what had happened just a couple seconds ago.

Lexi was released from his bear hug and noticed Bones behind him. She cleared her throat lightly and offered her hand to Bones.

"Dr. Alexandra Perlind at your service," She said, giving a firm shake.

Bones nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Perlind-"

"Call me Lexi."

"Right," Bones agreed, remembering something Booth had said about calling people by their first names. "Lexi, today you will be starting your job assisting me and Dr. Addy. You can start by examining that victim over there."

Lexi nodded, but before getting to work, also introduced herself to Angela.

"It's nice to meet you, Angela." Lexi smiled, then departed to the examination table.

"Zach, Lexi, I expect to have cause of death by the time we get back. Angela, the facial reconstruction, like we discussed?" Bones pulled off her gloves and disposed of them.

"Where are you going?" Zach wondered.

Booth put his hand on the small of Bones's back and smiled at Lexi. "Interviews. We'll be back later, and I'll take you to lunch, okay?"

Lexi nodded and picked up a leg bone.

_

* * *

Half an hour later..._

Zach and Lexi had been staring at the bones for quite a while, searching for any cause of death or possibly fatal injuries, when Lexi suddenly yelled out.

"I found it!" She shrieked, grabbing most of one of the arms and placing it under the microscope.

"You see this?" Lexi pointed to some minute scratches on the bone, which appeared scratched. "It appears that a razor has cut into the radius and ulna.."

Zach shook his head. 'We know that already. But the wound wasn't substantial enough to be cause of death."

Lexi grinned even more. "That's what we thought. But see, these marks right here show that this one didn't come straight in. Instead it would have come from the right side, and on that right side there's a vain that leads straight to the heart-"

"The bleeding would have been so severe that the victim would have died, leaving these stains on the bone." Zach finished, staring at it in awe. (Don't be mad at me if this isn't true, haha.)

"Yes!" Lexi cried, punching the air. She was grinning so wide it looked like it hurt.

"Good work, Dr. Per- Lexi," He substituted.

The dark-haired woman ran to the other side of the examination table and gave Zach a huge hug. It was almost as big as the one she had given Booth upon her arrival, but not quite there.

Zach awkwardly hugged her back.

"What's going on here, huh?"

Both turned around to see Hodgins approaching them with a tray containing some small, dirt-like particles. He was smirking as he walked up the steps.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but Brennan requested these. I guess I'll have to give them to her later. And who," Hodgins paused, casting a sidelong glance at Lexi, "is this?"

Lexi sighed and held out her hand, repeating the process she knew would become common for her first day.

"Dr. Lexi Perlind. Here to assist Dr. Brennan."

Hodgins kept that smirk on his face as he went back down from the platform. "Good to meet you. Don't mind me, you guys." He laughed and went back to his station.

"Who...?"

"That's Hodgins. He examines bugs, particulates, and dirt from bodies and crime scenes," Zach explained to her.

She nodded and looked back over to the rib. Lexi smiled again.

Zach looked down at the body again and checked his watch.

"I believe it is time for us to take a break." He announced.

Lexi nodded. "Alright. Will you sit with me? I don't really know what else to do around here yet."

"...Alright." Zach wasn't sure exactly what to do in this kind of situation. He hadn't been asked by very many people to 'hang out.'

The two of them left the platform and sat down on one of the couches in the Jeffersonian. Lexi looked down at her lap for a while, and Zach stared idly out the window.

"Zach, how did you feel when you first started working here?" She questioned, wondering if her feelings of nervousness were illogical.

"I was..." He paused. "I was excited but a bit nervous," Zach confessed. He never shared his feelings with anybody, and here he was with somebody he had just met not too long ago, admitting his feelings about his job.

"Lexi!" Booth shouted over to them. "We're going out to lunch!"

The girl leaped up as she heard her cousin calling for her. Zach watched as she hastened over to Booth.

"Bye, Zach! I'll see you later!" She turned and waved over her shoulder. "If you see Doctor Brennan, be sure to tell her about the cause of death!" Lexi was practically skipping to catch up to Booth.

Zach nodded and pursed his lips, wondering what to do.

_

* * *

Lexi and Booth- In Booth's car_

"So, what were you and Squinty doing?" Booth asked, venom lacing his voice.

Lexi put on a puzzled expression. "You mean Zach? We were just talking."

Booth grumbled, resting his head in the palm of his left hand. His elbow was propped against the arm rest.

"Not this morning, you weren't talking," he accused.

She tried to think back... getting lost, spilled coffee, wearing Zach's lab coat, getting his access card out...

"Really, Seeley? _That's _what you were worried about? Him 'inappropriately' touching me?" Lexi watched as Booth furrowed his eyebrows and tightened his one-handed grip around the steering wheel. "Seeley!" She cried. "Listen, I hardly know Zach, but he definitely doesn't seem like the kind who just goes around touching people. Actually, when I hugged him before, he seemed pretty-"

"You did _what?" _Booth cut in, slamming on the brake as they approached a red light.

"I hugged him. That's what people do when they're happy. They _hug." _Lexi explained as though she were talking to a small child.

Booth returned to his previous state of irritation. He pulled into a spot at the Diner and noticed that Lexi was still wearing her lab coat.

"Take that off; you're not at work anymore," He instructed, putting the car in park and yanking his keys out of the ignition.

Lexi had hardly noticed that she was still wearing it. She went to pull it off, unbuttoning the top 3 buttons, which were the only ones she had done.

Booth watched as she fumbled with them and as he was looking at her hands, he noticed on the chest that it said...

"Okay, Lexi. Please tell me why the hell you are wearing Zach's lab coat," Booth spat. His words were seething, and Lexi knew that if Zach had been in close proximity that Booth would have been pulling his gun on him that very second.

She grinned sheepishly. "Well, you see, I ran into him this morning and he spilled his coffee on me, so he let me borrow one of his..." Lexi rubbed the back of her head.

"LEXI!"

"Just relax, _Dad," _Lexi taunted. "It's not a big deal, it's just a lab coat. Come on, let's go inside."

_

* * *

Jeffersonian (Angela's Office)- Hodgins and Zach_

"So Zach, who was that?" Hodgins asked.

Zach looked at him, scrunching up his eyebrows. "Like she said, that was Lexi Perlind. I don't see how you didn't catch that the firs-"

"No, Z-man. I mean why were you two hugging?"

"You could have just said that," Zach chastised. "She found out the cause of death and in her excitement, hugged me."

Hodgins grinned. "Oh really?" He said skeptically.

"Yes. Unless my phrasing confused you," Zach said in a pitying sort of way.

Hodgins sighed. Zach had to be the most socially inept person on the face of the planet. Ever. "Listen, Zach, I know you haven't been in many relationships-"

"One." Zach interrupted. "It was terminated almost immediately by Naomi."

"Right. Anyways, what I'm saying here is that that little girl who just showed up on our doorstep-"

Zach interrupted again. "From what I was informed of, Lexi is a grown woman age 23. And she was not delivered to our doorstep- she's here at the Jeffersonian."

Hodgins rubbed his temple with two fingers. "Zach. Just hear me out. What I was _trying _to say was that Lexi could easily be somebody you could initiate a relationship with," Hodgins stated, trying to talk more like his friend.

Zach thought for a second. "I've been told that it is bad to initiate a relationship with somebody you work with."

"Whatever man..." Hodgins said, turning back to a tray of particulates.

"If you find her so appealing, why don't you pursue her yourself?"

"Dude, she's way too young for me. Besides, I have-"

Angela walked in, carrying a sketchpad and a box of art supplies.

"Angela!" Hodgin's exclaimed, putting down his tools. Zach observed their interaction with great interest. It certainly appeared that they were a couple.

"Hey, Zach," Angela greeted. "I saw our new squintern this morning." She said, using Booth's nickname for any of Bones's assistants.

"Yes," Zach amended. "She is not a graduate student though. Lexi has her doctorate, like me."

"Isn't she pretty?" Angela said, remembering the brief encounter she had with her that morning.

This question caused the overly-logical mind of Zach Addy to kick into gear. "Her facial structure is slightly asymmetrical, but it is complimented by the uneven cut of her hair. Lexi is very short in stature, perhaps an inch shorter than Hodgins. However, she has a slight resemblance of Agent Booth, being his cousin, which I find a bit unnerving."

Angela's eyes widened as she made a note to herself to become better acquainted with Lexi. She tried to imagine Zach with a short, beautiful girl, then a tall one. 'No...' she thought. 'Short is definitely better.'

"I have to get back to work," Zach announced abruptly, leaving Angela's office and going up to the platform.

Lexi had just returned, Zach's lab coat still on her, and was observing another body. It was quite fleshy, so Zach and Lexi were primarily examining the X-rays.

"There's something metallic in her stomach," Lexi pointed out on the chart.

Zack looked down at the body. "You're right. There is no exit wound. It must be a bullet." He stared. "Could you please grab that tray of surgical tools?" Zach requested. Lexi complied and crossed the platform.

She was walking back slowly, but somehow managed to trip and fall, landing on a scalpel.

"Shit..." Lexi muttered, sitting up and clutching her midsection. There was a growing red stain on the front of her lab coat.

Zach rushed over and kneeled down to help her, unbuttoning her (well, his) coat and rolling up her shirt to the point of injury. He found the cut with ease.

But that wasn't her only injury.

**I found it rather easy to potray Zach. But maybe that's because I'm doing it badly? Please let me know what you think. Also, let me know what you think of Lexi! I'd like for her to be likable. Review please!**

**~SnowKoyuki13**


	2. The Story Behind the Scars

_But that wasn't her only injury._

Lexi bit her lip as Zach observed the various bruises and healing cuts along her stomach.

"I'll get the first-aid kit." Zach pushed up from the ground and rushed to retrieve the little white box. He was black in a flash, spraying her wound with antiseptic, pulling out a large band-aid, and placing it gently over the cut.

As soon as he did, Lexi pulled her shirt back down, hoping that Zach would forget what he had seen. Unfortunately for her, Zach wasn't very forgetful.

"How did you get all of those injuries?"

"Aren't you going to help me up?" Lexi attempted to change the subject.

Zach ignored her attempt. "They appear to have been made by another person." He then held out his hand, pulling Lexi off of the floor.

_"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" _Booth roared, storming onto the platform with Bones following at a slower pace. He noticed the blood on his baby cousin's shirt instantly.

He then grabbed the collar of Zach's shirt and pulled him upwards so he was almost being lifted off the ground. "If you hurt her, Squinty, I swear..."

"I have done nothing to harm Lexi. However, I have discovered many injuries on Lexi's abdomen. It would not be surprising, if these are the results of abuse, if there are similar markings on the arms," Zach explained. Booth loosened his grip and turned his attention to Lexi.

Lexi was staring at the ground, fighting back tears and trying her best not to look as ashamed as she felt.

"Give me your arms." Booth growled.

"No." Lexi refused, one hand protectively grabbing the opposite forearm.

"Give me your arm. Now." He demanded once more, his voice no less treacherous than a group of hungry piranhas.

"NO."

Booth reached out and took hold of her arm, just as she was jerking away. The combined force caused Lexi let out a faint hiss in pain.

"Sorry..." The FBI agent rolled up her right sleeve revealing a set of bruises. He did the same to the left, which was unmarked.

"Who did this to you?" Booth yelled angrily. He was pissed, really. His tone of voice and his previous actions caused Lexi to burst into tears and latch onto the nearest person: Zach.

He stood, frozen for a second. He then pushed her away and reached for arm. He lifted his own hand and rested his fingers as gently as possible on the bruises. They matched.

"It's a handprint, most likely the result of somebody grabbing her arm, then dragging her." Zach noted. He let his hand linger just a second, before realizing what he was doing. He pulled away, feeling his cheeks grow hot.

Lexi was still crying, too hysterical to really care about what was going on at all.

"Wow, Zach. I knew you were socially retarded, but I didn't think you would make a girl cry." Hodgins joked, coming onto the platform with Angela, who slapped his arm with great force.

"Sweetie, come with me. Bren, you too," Angela draped a protective arm over the girl, who was practically hyperventilating. Bones went after them, leaving the guys alone on the platform.

There was a long silence settled between them.

"So..." Hodgins started.

Zach looked perplexed. "So what?"

Booth exploded. "My cousin's gone into shock, that's what!" He rushed off the platform, following the girls to Angela's office.

Lexi was still hyperventilating, and stood by Angela's desk, while she got a paper bag. She refused to sit. But this proved to be an unwise decision, as the lack of oxygen flowing to her brain caused her to faint, banging her head as she fell to the floor.

* * *

Lexi was conscious no more than two hours later, at the closest hospital. Booth had been the only one allowed in her room for longer than an hour because he was family, but the others had been able to visit in ten minute increments.

And they did. Everybody had dropped what they were doing to go to Lexi. As new as she was, everybody had already taken a liking to her. Even Zach. Or maybe, especially Zach.

"Seely..." She mumbled, reaching for him as her eyes fluttered open. He was sitting very close to her bedside, and grabbed her hand.

"How're ya doing, kiddo?" Booth asked her, a very small smile on his face.

She shrugged. "I've been better. But I've been worse.."

All signs of a smile instantly disappeared from Booth's face. "You know we need to talk about that."

"Please, Seeley. Not now. Not yet." Lexi pleaded. She looked around, trying to change the subject. "I take it everybody else is at the Jeffersonian still."

"Nah," Booth grinned. "They're all here for you. They haven't been allowed in for very long, but now that you're awake, they can all stay in here by themselves, for longer times. Cam told me they were all going to the cafeteria to get some dinner. It's Zach's turn next."

Lexi nodded, and looked past Booth at the door when Zach walked in.

"Hey, Zach, mind staying here with Lexi while I get something to eat? I'm starving." Booth stood, his hunger causing him to ignore his suspicions of Zach and Lexi.

"Alright. Although, it is impossible to starve in as little as 7 hours," Zach pointed out.

"Whatever." As Booth passed Zach on his way out, he poked him in the chest. "Hey. No funny-business. Got it?"

Zach bobbed his head up and down, fearful of what Booth meant or would do. He then took Booth's seat at Lexi's bedside.

The two of them didn't try to make conversation; Lexi didn't want to talk. Zach didn't try to comfort her; he was bad at that. They sat in silence, staring into each others eyes, sending messages to each other through them.

Finally, though, Zach knew he had to say something. "Lexi. It is highly illogical to hide the reasons behind your injuries. Booth is an FBI agent, and can help to catch whoever did this to you."

Lexi's eyes filled with tears as she sighed and tried to think of where to start.

* * *

"It started when I was twenty-one."

_"Lexi! Come on down here!"_

"My boyfriend started drinking more, and every time he drank, the amount her drank the last time just wouldn't satisfy."

_"Can ya get me another case 'o beer from the fridge?"_

Lexi shuddered as she began flashing back to those moments. "I wouldn't have talked back if I knew he would get so angry."

_"There isn't any more. You drank it all, you lazy alcoholic!"_

_"Shut up, ungrateful bitch!"_

"H-He would slap me at first. That was the softest."

_I watched, terrified, as he brought his hand back and slapped me open-hand across the cheek._

"But it started getting worse... he w-would th-throw the empty bot-tles at me... And there was so much broken g-glass... all over the floor..."

_"SHUT UP!" He reached to the floor and threw a brown beer bottle towards her. I ducked, letting it shatter against the wall behind me. But I was stuck in the spot. I couldn't go anywhere without stepping on the shards._

"He didn't leave them there. H-he would p-pick them up a-and..."

_I cried out in pain as he slashed my stomach with the shattered glass._

_"Be quiet!" He brought it across again, and I tried my best not scream._

"And ev-every night, he w-would drag me upstairs a-and-" Lexi's cries were escalating, and she didn't finish her sentence. Even Zach was able to grasp her point.

_"STOP!"_

_"Make me, bitch!"_

"And when I-I, when I didn't d-do what he want-ted, he would throw me down the st-stairs and l-leave me there."

_I didn't scream, as much as I wanted to every time a impacted the stairs. When I hit the bottom, I lay there until morning, waiting for him to kick me out of his way, too weak to get up myself._

"My p-parents had been dead since the year before from a car accident. Seeley knows that. I had n-nowhere else to go, and I w-wasn't allowed to contact anybody. F-finally, I r-ran away and applied at the Jeffersonian. Th-thank God..." Her sobs racked her body, and she looked over at Zach.

"Zach, I k-know you're n-not comfortable h-hugging, but please, c-could you-"

He awkwardly got up and sat next to her on the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms gently around her and letting Lexi cry into his chest.

"It would be helpful to know your boyfriend's name." He whispered.

Lexi tried to regain her composure for long enough to say the name of the most disgusting human being she knew.

"Sam McIngsworth."

She burst into tears again and nuzzled back into Zach. Even through the pain of the memories, Lexi could have sworn she felt his hand comfortingly rubbing her back.

* * *

Half an hour later, everybody was piling into Lexi's hospital room. Zach would have gotten up and left her side, but she was attached to him, gripping harder everytime he tried to leave. Her crying had stopped, but she was still unstable, sniffling, and looked ready to go back to crying any second.

Booth was about to protest Zach being in his baby cousin's bed, but he didn't. That wasn't the point.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me about this Sam McIngsworth guy?" He began pacing about,everybody watching apprehensively.

"I couldn't... he threatened to kill me..."

"How the hell did you get away?"

"I-I did whatever he wanted. I didn't talk, I didn't..." She trailed off, knowing that Zach understood best out of everybody. Lexi knew he had told everybody that he was abusive and alcoholic, but had left out the fact that he forced himself on her every night. "I was quiet when he hit me, so I wouldn't get the extra beatings. And soon enough, I-I was strong enough to run away one day."

Booth sighed and collapsed in a chair. "Listen, we're gonna catch him. He's getting put away for a long time, Lexi, you can count on it."

She smiled, finally, and released her grip on Zach, flashing her smile up towards him. He stared down at her, before pulling his hands away quickly and stuffing them into his pockets.

Hodgins and Angela watched, amused. Booth failed to notice. He was focusing on how he could track down Sam. Bones and Cam were watching Booth to make sure he didn't have a panic attack.

A nurse walked in. "You can leave any time you'd like, Sweetie." She turned and left in a hurry.

Everybody got up and headed for the door. First Bones, then Cam, followed by Booth, Hodgins, and Angela. Zach stood from Lexi's hospital bed and offered his hand to help her up.

"Thanks."

She didn't release her grip on his hand.

Zach didn't notice.

**Shorter update this time :(**

**Please leave me a review! Sorry if you don't like the flashbacks... let me know! By the way, not all chapters will be this dramatic. Thanks for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed the Zach/Lexi moment at the end!**  
**~SnowKoyuki13**


	3. The Competitive Comrades

_She didn't release her grip on his hand._

_Zach didn't notice._

Everybody else was supposed to be in the lobby, so Lexi and Zach waited for the elevator. He reached for the button and pressed the one with a glowing black arrow pointing downwards.

There was a high-pitched 'ding' as the elevator reached their floor and the door slid open. There was an elderly woman in there, with a walker and one of the hospital wristbands. She smiled at the two of them, as she noticed they were holding hands and that Lexi also had a wristband.

"So adorable. I wish my husband was still around to visit me in the hospital," She noted, smiling at them.

Lexi and Zach realized, finally, that their fingers were still intertwined, and the sprung away from each other, getting a good three-feet in between them. Both of their faces turned pink.

"We are not in a relationship, sexually or otherwise." Zach stated bluntly to the elderly woman. Her eyes widened and she pushed her way off of the elevator as soon as they reached the bottom floor.

"Geez, Zach, were you trying to give her a heart attack?"

Zach looked confused. "Why would I want to harm that woman? She seemed very nice. I was simply pointing out her mistake."

"Oh..."

Lexi was silent as they walked towards the rest of the group, even in the car ride over to Booth's apartment.

* * *

It had been a month since Lexi had began working at the Jeffersonian, and she had been adopted into the little family, who was currently hard at work trying to track down her ex-boyfriend, who had seemingly fallen off the grid. She was like a sister to everybody, especially Zach. They were practically inseparable.

Like all siblings, they fought. It was rare if they actually went two days without bickering. It was usually over something stupid, like who was right about a certain injury or who won the race to find out cause of death.

Booth wasn't exactly happy with this alliance. In fact, he hated it with a burning passion. Nobody was touching his cousin, especially if he had anything to do with it.

Which is why we're going to focus in on this specific date at the Jeffersonian- a few days before Zach's birthday.

Lexi and Zach were, yes, arguing with each other over a set of remains. Zach claimed that the cause of death was the impact to the skull, while Lexi believed that it was due to drug overdose.

"Feel how light the bones are, Zach! Clearly this person had a bit too much that day and died!" She held up the radius, before gently putting it back down.

He shook his head. "That's all speculation. Until we get the tox screen back from Cam, we can assume that the victim was a long term drug addict, who was too high to fight back when he was killed, explaining the lack of defensive injuries."

"Overdose!"

"Blunt force trauma."

"_Overdose!"_

"Blunt force trauma."

Lexi clenched her hands into fists and yelled, "Fine! Let's go ask Dr. Brennan, and she'll tell you that I'm right!"

"I'm right. You're acting childish," Zach reprimanded her.

She sharply pulled off the latex gloves that were protecting her hands and threw them into the trash can angrily. Lexi grabbed Zach's wrist and pulled him off of the platform.

"You, Zach, are wrong. And I'm right, and when Dr. Brennan tells me that I'm right, _you _are going to buy me lunch." Lexi wagered, practically running at this point.

"When she tells us that _I'm _right, you're going to have to give me five dollars," Zach stated matter-of-factly.

When they reached the threshold of Bones's office, Lexi let go of Zach and whipped around to yell at him. "Stop being so confident that you're right! Even geniuses have to be wrong sometimes!"

Angela and Bones watched warily from her couch. Bones was used to this; she would have to go and inform one of them that they were wrong, which would cause more fighting. Angela, on the other hand, was grinning as she stared over at the two anthropologists, her mind clicking into gear.

_"_I'll go take a look," Bones sighed as she got up and pulled on a pair of gloves. "Come on." She lead them over and picked up the skull, looking at it very closely.

"Hmm... It can't be certain until we get the tox screen back, but I'd say that this victim was dead before they died, and whoever found the body bashed their head in." Bones said, placing the skull back down and pulling her gloves off. "You two may take your lunch break now."

They nodded. Well, Lexi nodded while Zach stared at the skull, upset.

"To the diner?" Lexi asked, grinning at him with happiness at her win.

"Let's go."

* * *

The two of them were each eating a burger and splitting a large order of fries (I know, it sounds like McDonalds!) and just talking. Zach was quite a bit less awkward around her, as he was around everybody if she was nearby. She just had that affect on him.

"How old are you, Zach?" Lexi asked suddenly, taking a sip of her fruit punch.

"24. I'll be 25 on Thursday." He said, taking a bite of his food.

Lexi almost had a spit take when he told her this, and Zach's eyes widened in alarm.

"Are you alright?" He inquired, preparing to get up and help her.

She regained control of herself and swallowed her punch, nodding yes to him. "Sorry, Zach, I was just surprised. Do you mean to tell me that your birthday is in three days, and you didn't. Even. _TELL ME?" _

"I didn't think it was important."

"Not important?" Lexi cried, making quite a scene and causing people from other booths and tables to stare at her. "How can your birthday not be important?"

"Being a middle child in a large family, we usually didn't do very much for my birthday."

"Well, so! You're only giving me three days to pull something together!"

"What?"

Lexi sighed and face-palmed. "A party, Zach! I only have three days to plan you a party! And get you a gift!"

"I don't need a gift." He paid for the meal and motioned for Lexi to leave with him.

"Yes, you do!"

Zach didn't argue. It was pointless and tiring. "Fine. You may get me a present."

The two of them walked on in silence, and after a while Zach became absentminded and started humming. Lexi didn't say anything, she just stared at him open-mouthed until she walked into a streetlight, causing both of them to stop.

"You should be watching where you're going," Zach chastised.

Lexi rubbed her forehead and continued moving. "You...sing! Sing something!"

Zach looked down at her, puzzled. "Why?"

"Because!"

"Because is not a valid reason."

"ZACH!"

"Yes?"

"_Sing!"_

"Why?"

"RAWR!" Lexi shouted at him, furiously.

"What?" Zach hadn't heard that word before, in fact, he wasn't sure if it was a word. There were few words that he didn't know the meaning of unless they were slang or of little to no use to him.

"Rawr, Zach! It's a dinosaur noise. I say it when I'm upset or mad! And you just made me sad, Zach." She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, looking very much like a child, especially given her height.

"How?"

She didn't make eye-contact or respond.

"Lexi?"

No answer.

"Fine," Zach sighed in defeat. "I'll sing for you."

Lexi grinned evily. Yes, she knew Zach would do what she wanted. She was probably one of the only people who could do that to him, and she took no shame in taking advantage of her abilities.

_"There's a place for us_  
_Somewhere, a place for us_  
_Peace and quiet and open air_  
_Wait for us, somewhere" _Zach sang as they crossed a street. He paused for a second realizing that this song was a duet. He didn't plan on continuing; Lexi had only said he should sing, not that he had to sing a whole song.

As he was about to ask her opinion, he heard a faint, higher voice.

_"There's a time for us_  
_Someday a time for us_  
_Time together with time to spare_  
_Time to look_  
_Time to care_  
_Someday"_

Zach was taken aback by Lexi's great singing, but he continued his part in a slightly quieter voice.  
_"Somewhere_  
_We'll find a new way of living"_

Lexi smiled. "_We'll find a way of forgiving_  
_Somewhere."_

Their voices joined in the final lines of the song.  
_"Theres a place for us_  
_A time and place for us_  
_Hold my hand and we're halfway there_  
_Hold my hand and I'll take you there_  
_Somehow_  
_Someday_  
_Somewhere"_

They were now stopped outside the Jeffersonian, looking at each other in silence.

"So..." Lexi muttered, entering the building.

"I didn't know you had a good singing voice, Lexi," Zach noted.

"Yeah..." She blushed and looked down. "Before I became a forensic anthropologist, I wanted to be a singer."

"You would have excelled in that career. I find your voice very appealing."

Her face was now extremely red. "Thank you. Your voice was very good, too. You're gong to have to sing karaoke with me at your birthday party next week! Huh? What do you say?"

Zach nodded and smiled at her. "I would enjoy that very much. I enjoyed singing that duet with you."

Cam and Bones were up on the platform waiting for them.

"You're late," Cam scolded.

"I'm sorry," Zach apologized. "Had we not been singing on the way here, we would have arrived approximately..." He paused to do the math. "Three minutes earlier."

"Singing?" Cam asked. "I knew you could sing, Zach, but Lexi too? Maybe it runs in forensic anthropologists, huh Brennan?"

Bones looked up. "That is impossible. It is impossible for biological traits to be passed between people who do not share relatives, and I am not related to either Zach or Lexi. Therefore, the quality of a superb singing voice is simply a coincidence between the three of us." She went back to work, picking up a bone and tapping it gently with her finger, before bringing it up above her head and banging it down on the table.

Everybody stared at her, wide-eyed. Cam looked furious.

"Dr. Brennan! You don't just go around smashing bones!" She shrieked.

Bones held up the two halves. "These are plaster. I have to admit, though, it was very convincing. It had all of us fooled for quiet a while."

Zach and Lexi nodded, shamed that they hadn't noticed it earlier.

"Well, come one, people! Get back to work!" Cam ordered, leaving the platform to talk to Hodgins.

Three days later was Zach's birthday party- coordinated by Lexi and Anegla of course. They had gotten him an ice cream cake and everybody had brought him a present.

Hodgins had gotten him a poster to put up in his apartment, Bones got him a book on anthropology, Booth had given him a visa gift card, Cam got him some Sci-Fi DVD'S, Lexi had gotten him a karaoke game, and Angela had gotten him a pillow pet.

"What is this?" He asked her.

"It's a Zebra. See, the way it is now, it looks like a stuffed animal, but if you undo the velcro, it becomes a pillow! See?" Angela grinned at him, hoping he liked it.

Zach smiled. "That is very useful. Thank you, Angela."

"Come on, Zach!" Lexi whined, pushing her box into his hands. "You have to play it!"

"Alright." They hooked it up to one of Angela's LCD screens and went through the song selection.

Lexi smiled. "I found one that ranged from modern to classic, so I picked this one because I know you like some of the older songs."

"That was very thoughtful."

Everybody was having fun with the karaoke and eating the food up, until Booth and Brennan's phones rang simultaneously.

"Booth."

"Brennan."

The two of them listened for a while before hanging up within seconds of each other.

"I'm sorry, Zach. We have to go, there's a crime scene awaiting us," Booth said, grabbing Bones and leading her out the door.

The remainder of people still enjoyed their fun, but ended the party soon. Zach thanked all of them profusely before getting back to work with the new body that had just been brought back by Booth and Brennan.

"Angela, this occured within the past few days, so identification as soon as possible is critical." Bones told her, handing over the skull.

Angela nodded and hurried to work, reconstructing it and letting the person come to life on the page of her sketchbook. She finished it up within half an hour and added a few minor details, taking up a few extra minutes.

"I've got it, Sweetie." Angela came to show Brennan so they could run it through CODIS, so, as usual, Zach and Lexi stole some peeks too.

Lexi screamed. She didn't shriek, or cry, or yell, she freaking SCREAMED. Her index finger pointed accusingly at the picture.

"That can't be right... this can't be..." She sputtered, looking back and forth between the drawing and the body.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Angela was worried, she hadn't seen Lexi act like this since-

"Oh no..." She sighed in sudden realization, flipping the sketchbook around so only her and Brennan could see it.

"What is it?" Bones asked, peering over Angela's shoulder, trying to find anything abnormal about the picture but coming up blank.

"This," Lexi said darkly. "Is Sam McIngsworth."

**I'll leave it at that for now :) If you want a sooner update, ya'll better review! Pretty please? Reviews make me very happy. Anyways, I'm still trying to think of an overall direction to this story. I've gotten a couple of suggestions, but only one has kind of sparked my interest... so I'm open to anybody else's opinion. Thanks for reading, lemme know what ya think!**  
**~SnowKoyuki13**  
**P.S-Sorry about the time lapse. I try not to do that, But I thought it was necessary for this story**


	4. The Outcome of the Autopsy

"Lexi, are you sure you're able to work on this case?" Bones asked, placing a comforting hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

She nodded. "I'm fine. He got what was coming to him." Lexi was still staring down at the body, thinking of how different he looked. How he could hurt her any more. How-

Her train of thought was cut short as Zach tried to offer his point of view.

"I read online that most women say they are fine when they're actually quite the opposite." He looked up from the table , peering up through his floppy hair.

"I'm fine," Lexi repeated, although it sounded weak; not very convincing.

Zach was still skeptical, "I have a hard time believing that."

"I said I'm fine, Zach!" She yelled at him, giving him her famous death glare. He stopped talking, and him, Angela, and Bones just watched the young woman carefully, waiting for her next action. Lexi just stood there for a second before turning on her heel and exiting the platform, giving Zach another nasty look for good measure. As she left through the automatic door, Angela whistled.

"Wow." She said. "You're _soooo_ on her list, Zach."

The genius looked perplexed. "What list?"

"Her bad list," the artist explained. "She's obviously mad at you, sweetie."

Zach stood for a second, thinking about this, before slumping his shoulders and pursing his lips. "Although Lexi is small in stature, I find that she can be quite intimidating..." He brought a hand to his chin, wondering what to do next. After a minute of consideration, Zach decided that the logical course of action would be to go after her.

He found her sitting right outside of the entrance on the curb, staring angrily at a car across the lot.

"You appear to be angry at that car," Zach noted, sitting down next to Lexi. She scowled and averted her eyes.

"I'm not." She assured him.

"So you're angry at me, then?" He asked.

"No, I'm not," She said once more, sighing and resting her head in her hands. "I'm not angry at all, Zach."

This statement confused Zach. Had his attempt to read body language once again gone wrong? "If you weren't angry, then why did you storm off of the platform?"

Lexi didn't have an answer for him, so they sat in a totally non-awkward silence; these were normal between them.

"I'm sorry," She said, looking up at Zach apologetically.

He froze, his brown eyes quizzical. "Why are you apologizing?"

"I'm sorry that this had to happen on your birthday."

There was no verbal response from him. He pulled her closer to himself, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. She buried her face into his chest. It was very comforting to her that he went out of his way to make physical contact, especially since he didn't like to touch people. She even smiled a bit as began to hum to her. Lexi could feel the rumbling in Zach's chest as he hummed the notes of a slow, relaxing song.

Lexi let her eyes shut a bit, and soon enough she drifted to sleep.

* * *

An hour later, Lexi's eyes fluttered open. She jolted to a sitting position; where was she? Her mind was put at ease as she recognized the open layout of the Jeffersonian. She let out a breath that she hadn't known she was holding, and stood to get back to work.

She made her way down the stairs and was going to search for some gloves when she was intercepted by none other than Angela.

The dark-haired woman had a coy smile on her face. "Hey, A," Lexi greeted her.

"Don't 'Hey, A' me. We need to talk, sweetie," Angela said, grasping the younger woman's wrist and pulling her towards her office.

"About...?"

Angela didn't say anything until the clear glass door was closed behind her and she had turned to face Lexi.

"What's going on with you and Zach?" Ange asked, sitting down and pulling out her sketchbook and flipping through the pages.

Lexi groaned. "We've been through this," She whined. "Zach and I are just friends."

"Oh really? Because you seemed like more than just friends in the parking lot." Angela turned it around to show Lexi a drawing from a side view of her resting against Zach, eyes closed, with one of his arms around her.

"Friends can't comfort friends? I thought that's what friends were for."

Angela raised her eyebrows. "Yeah? I'm your friend and I don't carry you bridal-style through the Jeffersonian."

"I'm sure you could if you tried. I'm a small person."

"Not the point."

Lexi thought about this and blushed. _So that's how I ended up inside... "_Well, what was he supposed to do? Let me sleep out on the curb?"

"He could have woken you up," She pointed out, trying to get something out of this conversation.

Another pause as Lexi tried to think that through. "Zach knows that I've been through a lot lately, and that I probably need all the sleep I can get." She was hoping for the conversation to end, so Lexi broke eye contact with Ange and started looking around the darkly lit workspace. There was one switch up on the wall, one switch down. "_Hmm," _Lexi wondered why that was.

"Whatever." Angela sniffed, having no rebuttal. As if on cue, Hodgins knocked on the door, and Angela motioned for him to enter.

He pulled the door open and looked around curiously. "Why is it so dark in here?" Hodgins asked, flipping up the other switch and better illuminating the room. Lexi noticed immediately why Angela had dimmed the lights; next to her computer, which was flashing through images of missing persons, the drawing of Sam sitting next to it.

"Sweetie...we have to double check," Angela murmured, placing a hand on Lexi's knee. It took Hodgins a second to realize what was going on, and when he did he flipped the light switch back down, whistling, and stuffing his hands in the pockets of his coat right after.

Lexi interlaced her fingers and stared down at her hands, pursing her lips. "It's alright. I really do want to catch who did this to him." She brushed Angela's hand aside and stood. "I should probably go help Zach and Dr. Brennan. Later." Lexi shuffled out the door, barely even acknowledging Hodgins's presence.

"Nice one, Jack." Angela rolled her eyes at him.

* * *

Lexi finally located a pair of latex gloves and put them on after sliding her card through the scanner. "Hey, Dr. Brennan."

Bones set down the femur she was grasping and looked over to the young adult. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah." Lexi noticed that the platform seemed oddly... empty. "Where's Zach?"

Brennan's eyebrows knitted together. "Perhaps your anger deterred him and he is now avoiding you."

"Brennan, we made up."

"Oh."

Booth came up to them. "So, who have we get there, Bones?"

"Lexi's abusive ex-boyfriend, Sam McIngsworth." Bones stated, flat out.

"Aww, Lex," Booth pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry that it had to end like this." His arms were warm and comforting, and even though he was family, Lexi didn't find them nearly as comforting as Zach's.

_"Come to think of it, what happened to him? He's never late..." _Lexi thought, frowning down at the body.

"Sorry I'm late," Zach said, rushing onto the platform.

Brennan waved it off with her hand. "It's fine. Just don't make this habit," She warned. "Let's work at defleshing, alright?"

The two assistants nodded and Zach asked, "By what method?"

"I think it would be best of we used water to get the flesh off in this case. We can't risk scratching the bones or losing evidence." Bones may have been trying to be objective, but knowing that one of her assistants was tied to this victim made her want to be extra careful.

"How long is that going to take?" Lexi inquired.

Brennan shrugged. "Depending on how long it takes Cam to examine the soft tissue, up to twenty-four hours. So, you two can leave for the day or identify bodies in Limbo." Even though she disliked the name, it was appropriate and much shorter than 'bone storage.'

Lexi thought about this. She had had a long day, but didn't really want to go home. But she didn't think she could stand another body at the moment. So it was moments like these that she turned to Zach for entertainment.

She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes. "Zach, can we go do something?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno."

Zach tried to think of a mutual enjoyment between the both of them. "Bone storage?"

"I really don't think I can handle that right now."

Another silence settled between them as they left the platform and sat down on one of the couches. They were both trying to think up something to do, but were coming up empty. That was, until Sweets came in.

"Hey, Zach." The psychologist greeted, lifting his hand up in a slight wave.

"Hello, Dr. Sweets."

Sweets looked past him and at Lexi, who stared back with her wide brown eyes. "Um, hi. Who are you?"

Lexi smiled. "I'm Alexandra Perlind. You can call me Lexi."

He nodded and looked between them. The way they were sitting, their overall demeanor, their body language. "I'm Lance Sweets. You look like you've been having a tough time mentally lately."

Lexi was taken aback by the observation. "_Is it really that obvious?" _She wondered. "Yeah, how would you know?"

"I'm an FBI psychologist and profiler. It's kind of my job." He smiled and rocked back on his heels. "I'm going to go talk to Angela. See ya."

He retreated to Angela's office, greeting her politely before shutting the door quickly behind him.

"Okay, what's going on between those two?" Sweets asked, pointing outside to the two young adults sitting on the couch, laughing about something or another.

Angela peered in the general direction. "Zach and Lexi? 'Just friends'" She said, using air quotes and placing her control panel down on a table. "But maybe you can use your ___psychologica_l powers to convince me otherwise." She said, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Sweets nodded and turned so he was standing next to Angela. "Look at their eyes. They make excessive eye contact, showing that they are very comfortable around each other. The two of them are seated side by side, very closely, meaning the same thing."

"Well of course they're comfortable with each other; they see each other on a daily basis," Angela explained, rolling her eyes.

The young therapist had a rebuttal. "You said that they're 'just friends,'" Sweets repeated, mimicking the hand motions. "What gives you reason to think otherwise?"

She pulled out her sketch of the two of them in the parking lot, where Zach's arm was around Lexi, holding her sleeping body into his chest. Sweets looked like he was having a field day with this.

"Woah woah woah, look here," He jabbed a finger onto Lexi's head. "When somebody, especially a woman, rests her head on a man's chest or shoulder, it expresses a want or need for closeness and an encouragement to do the same. What else has happened?"

"He carried her inside. _Bridal style,"_ Angela emphasized. "She also drags him around by the wrist. And you know Zach, he really doesn't like people making physical contact with him. And she's very close to him about her ex-boyfriend, our current victim. Lexi can pretty much get him to do anything she wants. He's wrapped around her little finger." The grin on Angela's lips grew.

Sweets was impressed, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding. "Hand contact tends to be the initial signs of an intimate relationship. And see here," He noted that she was twisting a strand of hair around her finger and had her knees pulled into her chest. "Most women play with their hair when flirting and make themselves appear smaller. While Zach is stretched out, making himself seem larger."

An airy laugh escaped from between Angela's lips.

"And Brennan says psychology is never right."

* * *

The next day, when the defleshing was done, everybody was hard at work, leaving now room for idle conversation. Some people didn't even bother taking breaks. As soon as this case was over, the easier everybody's lives would be.

"These markings here suggest he was strangled with some patterned object..." Brennan mused, pointing out markings along the collarbone and top vertebrae. Booth tried peeking over her shoulder to see.

Cam walked over, pushing Booth to the side. "That would certainly comply with the evidence from what was left of the lungs."

Lexi picked up a bone from the wrist. "It appears that there was blunt force on the trapezium, but not substantial enough to be cause of death. I think the suffocation scenario is most likely."

Angela brought up a case file. "So, from what I was able to track down, I found out that he worked with a wedding planning agency, primarily with tuxedos, suits, and other things having to do with the groom."

Lexi snorted, but allowed Angela to continue.

"Time of death was 8 days ago, and according to the company records, their current wedding had just been called off."

Zach finally pitched in. "Do you think this has anything to do with his death?"

The woman lifted her shoulders slightly. "It seems like this is a very private company. It took me forever just to get this out of them, and I doubt they would be cooperative if anybody came to interview them."

Bones smiled over at Booth. "Can we go undercover?" She pleaded.

Booth shook his head sternly. "No way, Bones. Your face has been all around the news lately because of your new book, and this is somewhere where people actually keep up with the news. Nowhere near the same as the circus."

"I'll do it." Lexi volunteered, hope glimmering in her eyes.

Everybody looked at her like she wasn't serious. But she was. "Please?"

Booth looked like he was seriously thinking about it. "You're going to need a 'fiancé,'" He pointed out.

"Zach can do it."

The man in question jerked his head up, his mouth slightly open.

The FBI agent looked off into space, then back at his younger cousin. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." Lexi nodded, a look of determination reflected in her eyes.

"Any time he's mentioned, you have to act like you couldn't care less," Booth noted, knowing that this would probably be difficult for her.

"Done."

He couldn't think of any other reasons to object, so he drew in a deep breath and gave his consent.

Zach, on the other hand was still staring wide-eyed between the two cousins, wondering why neither had actually asked if he was comfortable with this.

Lexi smirked at him. "Hear that Zach? We're engaged."

**I'll leave it there. Sorry I didn't update last weekend, I was just trying to think of what direction I wanted this story to take. This chapter doesn't seem all that great to me, but I hope it does to you! ;) A few things I want to say to you:**  
**1)To an anonymous reviewer: I never really thought of it that way! Thank you for offering that new point of view :)**  
**2) I found some information on the body language of people prior to intimate relationships and who are flirting online, and I really wanted to throw Sweets into the mix**  
**3) Thank you for reviewing, everybody! I love you guys so much, and reviews seriously make my day and give me encouragement to write**  
**4) I've been trying to work on a convincing case, but don't expect much of it :D it's mostly the background story within the case that matters here**  
**~SnowKoyuki13**


	5. The Engagement in the Emprise

Zach was still standing there, flabbergasted. He had frozen on the spot, and while his lips moved, no words came out. Finally he was able to form a sentence in his mind and say it out loud.

"Won't we be needed here at the lab?" He asked, trying to find a way out of it.

Brennan shook her head. "It would be best if you two could get information and send it back here."

His eyes darted to Hodgins, who was approaching them that very second. Zach knew that Hodgins wasn't an option; he would definitely be needed back at the lab.

Lexi looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "Are you saying that you don't think I'm pretty enough to be your fiance?" She asked, pretending to be deeply hurt.

"No!" He said. "I don't see how you came to that conclusion. I never said anything about thinking that you're unattractive, which you aren't. Actually, you are above average according to social normalities..."Zach rushed, going pink in the face as he did.

Lexi smiled. "So it's settled. When do we start?" She asked, eager to go on her first undercover case ever.

Booth pulled out his phone. "I'll have to check with my boss, but we can probably have you out in the field in two days, tops." He held a button on his speed dial and held the phone up to his ear, listening to the dial tone for a few seconds before somebody picked up. "Hey, listen, we're going to need to go undercover for this one..." Booth soon became out of earshot as he walked away.

"Alright, back to work."

Lexi and Zach worked diligently, offering suggestion about what could be the right pattern to cause the markings.

"Bike chain?" Lexi proposed.

Zach shook his head. "A bike chain probably would have been wider. Wallet chain?"

"I'd have to say the same thing about the bike chain for that one."

"Necklace?"

Lexi took a closer look at the bone. "A thin chained necklace would definitely fit the measurements," She amended, running a gloved hand along the grove.

Angela, meanwhile, was leaning against the edge of the platform, texting.

"Ange, what are you doing?" Brennan asked, glancing over at her best friend, who seemed very desperate to finish the message as soon as she could.

"Nothing..." She murmured, pressing send and shutting her phone. "I'll go work on some scenarios in the Angelatron." Brennan approved and sent the artist on her way.

Soon enough, Sweets was back and in Angela's office, where he had been the day before.

"You said they have to go undercover as an engaged-to-be-married couple?" He clarified, just to make sure he had a full grasp of the situation.

Angela nodded in confirmation. "That's right. I texted you because I figured you could come up with some mental reason for why this could change their working relationship. Also, you're going to have to teach them how to act like a convincing couple. Not that they're not doing a great job of it themselves..." She trailed off, pressing a few buttons on her control panel.

The young man nodded. "You're right; an undercover situation like this one could definitely affect the way they work together. And you're wrong about that. Although they do express signs of being in a relationship, it would be an early one at best. These signs would not be very convincing of a couple who is going to get married," Sweets noted. He then exited her office and joined everybody else on the platform.

"Hey guys," He said, before turning to Brennan. "Dr. Brennan, I'm going to have to borrow your assistants for a moment."

"They're all for you," She told him, smiling at her attempted use of an idiom. "All yours," Cam corrected.

Zach and Lexi followed Sweets to the same couch that they had been sitting on during their encounter with him the day before.

"Listen, you two," He began. "If you're going to pretend to be engaged, you're going to have to use convincing body language." Both people in question saw that this was true, and urged him to continue.

"People in intimate relationships sit next to each other, not across from each other. They try to find excuses to touch each other, make lots of eye contact. Smile at each other, and when you are sitting near each other, be making physical contact. Hold hands when walking together, and always stay side by side. The man will usually have his hand on the woman's back if not holding hands." Lexi stared at the psychologist, trying to take every piece of information that he had just thrown at them and store it someplace in her over-crowded mind. Zach had already grasped the concept and simply tilted his head in response.

"I'll type it up for you," Sweets assured Lexi, and she smiled at him gratefully.

Booth returned from the J. Edgar Hoover building with two rings; a modest engagement ring with a small diamond in the middle, and a plain silver band. The corresponding wedding bands were also in the velvet cases. He put one box in each of their hands.

"Do _not _lose these," Booth warned. "Or I'm dead."

Lexi rolled her eyes as she opened the box and slid the ring onto her finger. She smiled at how nice it looked there.

"My boss cleared you to go undercover starting tomorrow. Don't do anything stupid, alright?"

* * *

Zach and Lexi were ready to go by eight o'clock the next morning. Lexi was going to borrow a car from the FBI, since she didn't own a vehicle herself but did have a valid license. She went to pick him up over at his apartment over Hodgins's garage about an hour earlier and ended up running into the entomologist on the way.

"Hey," She greeted, waving her left hand, because her right hand was cradling a bag full of supplies they might need for the investigation.

"Hey, shortie," he replied, loving the fact that there was somebody around who was shorter than him. It wasn't by much, but he would take what he could get. "Nice ring," Hodgins joked.

Lexi rolled her eyes. "Have you seen Zach? We're supposed to be leaving soon."

"Yeah, I knocked on his door this morning and he was packing. Well, more like frantically searching for something."

The female scientist was mildly surprised; Zach never lost things. With his photographic memory, he almost always found anything he had misplaced easily. And he hardly ever misplaced things.

Suddenly, she saw the door to his apartment burst open, and Zach rushing towards her towing an average sized suitcase behind him.

"Good morning. I'm sorry, I know I was supposed to meet you out here by 7:00 and it is now 7:17, but I was having trouble finding my ring," Zach admitted, feeling foolish.

"Of all things, you lose the ring?" She asked doubtfully, tsking at him. "Where the hell did you find it?"

"In my hamper."

"Why was it in your hamper?"

Zach sighed. "I left it on my pile of clothes yesterday when I changed, and forgot about it. I'm not used to wearing jewelery."

"You know Booth would have murdered you if you lost that ring?" Lexi told him.

"Actually, I think that was more directed towards you. My ring is probably very inexpensive, but yours has a much higher price tag due to the fact that it has a diamond on it."

Lexi rolled her eyes again. "Whatever. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

Another silence. Hodgin's pulled them into a group hug.

"Bye guys. It just won't be the same without you!" He cried jokingly, patting Zach on the shoulder before pulling away. "Don't get too touchy-feeley now," He warned, backing up towards the garage, where his own car was.

Lexi blushed. She had totally forgotten about the whole body-language thing that Sweets had warned them about. "Don't worry about it," She called back, smiling like her mind wasn't spinning.

"Let's go, Zach."

* * *

After driving for two hours, the estimated time for the trip, the two of them stepped out of the car in front of the wedding agency and were automatically taken aback. It was _huge. _Most agencies themselves were quite a bit smaller, maybe the size of a house, with most of the shopping and arrangements done elsewhere. This, however, looked like a large corporate building basing several different companies.

"Come on," Lexi urged, gesturing towards the plate-glass doors. "Let's go inside. We have an 'appointment.'"

Zach nodded and followed. Suddenly, he took her by the hand. She flinched at his touch at first, surprised by the abrupt but gentle connection. He laced his fingers through hers as though it were something he did everyday.

"Um... what exactly are you doing?" The woman asked, though not in an entirely unpleasant tone. She really didn't mind all that much.

"Body language." When she didn't appear to grasp his point, Zach elaborated. "Sweets told us that we had to make a constant effort to-

"I recall," Lexi interrupted, not wanting to go through the lecture once more. "I was just a bit surprised, you know?"

They kept their hands together as they entered, but soon Zach switched to placing his large hand around the small of her back. It was very effortless to him, given her height.

Lexi cleared her throat to gain the attention of the one behind the front desk, he seemed very involved in her own conversation on the phone. "Excuse us, where do we sign in?"

The woman had pinched expression, especially as she murmured a quick 'I'll call you back later,' into the phone. Whatever conversation she had been having was obviously very important to her. She then plastered a fake, practiced smile onto her face. "Right here, you two. Names?" She asked, sitting down in a swivel chair behind a desktop computer.

"Alex Campbell and Zach Simard," Lexi stated, barely recalling the different last names they had been given. Lexi had also decided to go by Alex for the time being.

After some clicking and typing, the pinched woman smiled back up at them. "All signed in. If you'll follow me please..." She lead them down a long carpeted hallway to an elevator. She pressed the 'up' button and turned to face them. "Go right on up to the fourth floor, and go through the third door on the right."

Zach nodded, and when the doors slid open, he guided Lexi in. As soon as the doors shut, she moved away from his touch.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked, wondering why exactly she had shifted positions.

Lexi bit her lip and stared down at her Converse. "No, I just don't feel entirely comfortable with it..." She trailed off. It wasn't the touching that made her uncomfortable; it was the fact that she didn't actually mind that made her feel off. "_I mean, it's because he's my friend, right? My friend Zach."_

She risked a peek over at him and couldn't help but notice the flash of sadness in his eyes as Zach bobbed his head up and down gently. The doors slid open, and he reached for Lexi's hand again.

"Sorry."

Lexi felt even worse now. She knew Zach probably felt like crap, because his grip wasn't as secure and assured as it had been. Instead, it was light and unsteady, as if he wasn't sure if he should leave it there or back off. And then there was the fact that he now felt as though he was violating her personal space. She tried to shake these thoughts as they approached the appropriate office.

The door was large enough for her and Zach to fit in side by side. They approached another woman, who was sitting behind a desk similar to the one down in the lobby, only much smaller.

"Simard?" She asked, not even bothering to look up from the computer screen and keyboard she was working on.

"And Campbell," Zach added, curious as to why the secretary had only uttered his supposed surname.

Lexi stood on her toes and bent in to whisper in Zach's ear; "When couples are about to get married, they normally call them by the groom's last name."

"That doesn't make sense. We're not yet married."

She rolled her eyes. "It may not make sense," Lexi paused for a second as she noticed that the secretary could hear them and was staring at them quizzically. "It may not make sense _sweetie,"_ Lexi repeated, putting emphasis on the pet name. "But that's how they do things here."

"Yes," The woman said, standing and gesturing to a second door. "Ms. Bernard is ready for you."

The couple went to the door and opened it, stepping inside and taking their seats in front of a plump, middle-aged woman.

"What a cute couple! You two are surely-" She continued, but Lexi had tuned her out. Instead, her eyes were fixated on the necklace she was wearing. A thin metal chain, covered in what appeared to be gold varnish.

**Sorry about the ending, but this seemed to be the best place to stop. Thank you to everybody who has been reviewing! Please continue to do so, they make me very happy :D Stay tuned for the next chapter!**  
**~SnowKoyuki13~**

_~*The snow that falls_  
_In the darkest of times_  
_Coats us in a layer_  
_Of cool warmth*~ _


	6. The Investigation in the Agency

_Notes: This one won't be focused as much on the case, but more on Zach and Lexi's relationship. Like I said before, I'm not good with coming up with original cases, but I'll try my best. I kind of have an idea on how I want this one to go. Enjoy!_

After scheduling several appointments with Ms. Bernard and other members of the wedding agency, Zach and Lexi went to their hotel room. No, that is not a typo, they went to the hotel _room. _The FBI tried to spend as little money as they could on undercover cases, especially if none of their own agents were going. They also figured it would be better for their 'image.' And maybe Angela had something to do with it too.

Lexi sat down on the bed (yes, I do mean _one _bed) and pulled out her laptop, resting it towards the foot of the bed and watching the screen light up. As soon as it booted up, she video called the gang back at the Jeffersonian.

Angela answered. "Hey, Sweetie! How's it like being engaged?"

She sighed. "It's weird. And awkward. Especially since we're sharing a room and possibly a bed." Lexi wasn't sure exactly if Zach was comfortable sleeping in the same bed or if he'd rather sleep on the floor or in an arm chair. It was a fairly large room.

The artist feigned surprised. "One room? One bed? Sounds like a bit of a development to me. Where is that little cutie, anyways?"

"He went to go buy some food from the store across the street. Everything in the mini-fridge is so expensive."

"I see." Angela shifted her weight from one foot to another. "So what did you need?"

Lexi remembered the actual reason for her call and was quick to address it. "I need to talk to Hodgins about the particulates found on the bones. I may have a possible murder weapon."

The call was forwarded to Hodgins, who was in his work area, bent over a microscope. He didn't notice that Lexi's face had appeared on his computer screen behind him, so he continued working.

"Hodgins." No response. "HODGINS." Silence.

"Jack Stanley Hodgins! Turn around!" Lexi screamed in a rather irritated tone of voice. She smiled a bit as he jumped in surprise and whipped around to face the webcam.

"Hey, you got news for me?" Lexi nodded and asked, "Do you know what chemicals could be found in gold paint or gold varnish?"

Hodgins began rattling off a list of some unpronounceable chemicals and their properties. Lexi clapped her hands together loudly to shut him up. "Were any of these found on the bones?"

He nodded and pulled up a list of chemicals. "Why so interested?" Hodgins wondered.

"One of the women working there, Ms. Patty Bernard, was wearing a chain necklace covered in gold varnish. The size appeared congruent to the sizes of the markings on the bones." Lexi told him.

"It's definitely possible. Booth and Brennan are going to want some pictures of it. Any way you could get-" The entomologist was cut off by the door opening, closing, and then Zach announcing that he was back.

"Hey, Zach!" Hodgins called, motioning for Lexi to turn the computer around so he could see him. "What's up?"

Zach set down two plastic bags on a table and sighed. "Nothing."

"What are you doing in Lexi's room?"

"We're sharing a room." Zach stated.

Hodgins's eyes widened. "Really? Lexi never told-"

"Goodbye!" Lexi hung up and slammed the computer shut. Her heart was beating a bit fast as she did, bringing a slight blush up to her cheeks.

"Why did you do that?" The so-called genius inquired.

Lexi fiddled with her fingers in her hands. "Well, Zach, it's just a little odd that we're sharing a room and a bed when we aren't involved romantically."

His eyes widened just a bit; not in surprise, but in realization. "I see. Would it make you uncomfortable if we shared a bed?"

"No," She lied. It wasn't a full lie. It was Zach so she felt comfortable all the time, but sharing a bed? It just didn't seem like something normal people did.

"Dr. Brennan sent over some more images of the bones. Do you want to take a look?" He asked.

"Sure."

* * *

After scanning through most of the pictures, it was already sun down. There was nothing left to be done for that day, so Zach switched the television to the SyFy channel and Lexi decided to sit out on the balcony.

She stared out at the city for a while; the lights were pretty, yes, but Lexi never understood how people could think of city lights as beautiful. Lexi read for a while, but there was insufficient lighting outside and she decided to come back in. The first thing she noticed was Zach sitting on the bed in his night clothes, his hair damp.

He turned to her. "You may use the bathroom if you'd like."

Lexi muttered a hasty "Okay" before rushing to her suitcase and getting out her pajamas; a pair of purple fleece bottoms and a tank top, which was a slightly different shade.

She showered quickly and spent most of her time blow-drying her hair. She changed and came back out, to see that Zach had changed the channel and was now watching some crime drama. In the short time it took her to walk to the bed, Zach had flipped through more channels by holding the up button and then turned off the T.V.

Lexi just looked at him. He sighed. "There aren't any good shows on." Zach then pulled out a book and started reading without any other explanation. He seemed so focused in on it that Lexi decided not to interrupt him.

Half an hour later, at 9:00, Zach had to get up and use the bathroom. When he returned, he noticed that Lexi had drifted to sleep,one hand still loosely cradling her cell phone on which she had been playing angry birds. He shook his head and gently pulled the smart phone out of her grasp, turning the game off and putting it on the nightstand. Zach got in on his side and pulled the covers up to his shoulders, and then reached over Lexi to pull her side up as well.

As he gently and carefully stretched his arm over her body to grab the edge of the sheets, Lexi's hand came up slowly and grasped his wrist. She pulled it down so she had his entire forearm, hugging it like it was a pillow.

Zach was frozen. What to do, that was the question. He didn't want to wake Lexi up, but at the same time, he couldn't sleep in an upright position, since he had been propped up on his other elbow while doing this. The only way he could do both would be...

He reluctantly rested his supporting elbow down and scooted closer to Lexi, who's grip on his arm wasn't tight, but it wasn't loose enough for him to wiggle out of. He tried to maintain as much distance as possible, but Zach's thoughts of how to further aid the situation were cut short as he drifted to sleep.

* * *

The shrill sound of an office phone ringing woke Lexi up in the morning. She rolled slightly and reached out, eyes closed, and grabbed the hotel room phone. "Yuh..?"

"Alex Campbell and Zach Simard, this is your wake-up call from the front desk, as requested."

"Uh-huh." Lexi slammed the phone back down on the receiver and flipped back to her original position. She was suddenly conscious of something draped over her ribs. Something far too heavy to be a comforter.

Her eyes flew open, and Lexi found herself staring straight into the gray shirt that belonged to none other than Zach Addy. She glanced down without moving her head and could see that his arm was rested around her waist, glanced up the same way and saw that her head was tucked under his chin and his eyes were still closed.

"Zach?"

"Hmm?"

"Wake up."

"Five more minutes."

If Lexi wasn't in her current position, she would have laughed at how childish the overly rational young adult was. "Zach, now." Her tone was harsh.

He opened his eyes and took a few seconds to take everything in. As soon as he did, he pulled his arm away quickly and scooted to the very far side of the bed.

"I'm sorry. Last night, you were holding onto my arm, so I had no other choice but to lie down next to you, and it appears that at some point in the night you released it and turned so we were in our former position."

Lexi just glared.

"I'm truly sorry, Lexi." He didn't think he had any real reason to apologize, but Hodgins had taught him that a woman was always right.

Lexi would have come back with a rebuttal, but a high pitched song coming from her computer interrupted. She reached into the drawer and pulled out the laptop that had been in sleep mode.

"Yeah, Ange."

Angela didn't have a reason for calling, she was just wanting to talk to Lexi.

"Hey Lex. How's it going?"

"Oh, it's going just fine." Lexi shot a nasty look at Zach, who stared shamefully down to his lap.

"Really? It doesn't sound fine."

"It is."

Zach listened to their conversation a few more minutes before Angela finally hung up. He started once more.

"I didn't intend to take any advantage of you, Lexi. I'm a gentleman."

"Of course you are Zach." She rolled out of bed and pulled her hair into a tiny ponytail at the nape of her neck.

"I mean it." He said seriously, staring her down.

She sighed. Lexi couldn't argue with Zach when he was like this. He just seemed so desperate for forgiveness or whatever it was he was asking for that she couldn't refuse. He was like a little kid. "I know you do."

"Then why are you still mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you. I promise." She walked over to him and smiled. "Pinkie swear."

He extended his much larger pinkie and linked it with hers. Lexi released her pinkie, and grabbed onto Zach's wrist, twisting it up slightly so it didn't hurt,but was a bit uncomfortable. "I call bathroom first."

Zach nodded, and Lexi grabbed a makeup bag from her suitcase before heading in and locking the door behind her.

Once inside, she combed her hair through and styled it. She then got dressed, putting on a strapless bra for her fitting that was supposed to take place that day.

When she came back out, Zach was dress and his hair was smoothed down into as close to neat as it was going to get.

"We have to go." She grabbed the car keys and opened the hotel room door.

Her and Zach walked down the hall together, heading towards the back stairwell. "So, you're going to drop me off at the tailor's, and your going to the wedding coordinators?"

"Yes," She said, pushing back a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face. "You have your point and shoot camera, right?"

Zach patted his pocket, where a little Nikon coolpix that he had at home was hidden so he could take some pictures. Lexi had a similar one in her purse, both of which had been lent to her by Angela.

Lexi dropped off Zach and headed over to a dress shop to try on wedding dresses. She entered the crowded building and was startled by the amount of women running around, crazily searching for the perfect fit, stressing over whether or not to go strapless or old-fashioned. Lexi found the entire notion of it kind of sickening.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Mrs. Rasmussen," Lexi recited the name that had been told to her yesterday. This woman had supposedly worked closely with the wedding agency and often collaborated with Sam. She also had a private office, which Lexi was grateful for. She didn't think she could handle this chaos much longer.

"Right this way." Lexi was led to a rather large office, with it's own dressing room. A kind-looking woman was automatically right in front of her, looking her up and down.

"I see. I think you could definitely do a one-inch strap with long white gloves... it _is _the spring look, after all!" She went over to a rack in one corner of the room. "I'd say that you're this size..." She pulled off a few and handed her some smaller garment bags with gloves inside. "You go try this one on."

Lexi took the dress and headed into the changing room. As soon as the door closed behind her, she pulled out her phone and rapidly texted Angela before pulling on the dress and exiting onto the three-mirrored platform. The woman pulled off her glasses and smiled. "This could be the one. But I'm just not feeling it. I'm sure there's another-" She was interrupted by an office phone ringing.

Lexi sighed. _"Saved by the bell," _she thought, mentally thanking Angela for being able to track the number so quickly.

"I'll be back in a moment," Mrs. Rasmussen assured Lexi. "I just have to go check something for another client." She took her leave, and Lexi rushed for her purse and pulled out the camera. She took several pictures of the room, focusing on anything that even vaguely resembled the possible murder weapon. Lexi knew that Angela could only hold her off for so long, and after she finished with the photo's her phone buzzed.

_You owe me. Send me picture of dress._

Lexi sighed and pulled on a pair of gloves, going over to the platform and taking a picture of herself using the reflection from the mirror.

_Will send back at hotel._

She wriggled her way out of the dress and found that Mrs. Rasmussen had returned and was asking, disappointed, "Aren't you going to try on more?"

"Actually, my fiance is waiting for me to get lunch in an hour at the hotel. I'm sorry," Lexi was fast to think of a plausible falsehood. The woman looked genuinely upset.

"Your fiance? I want to see a picture of him!" She squealed. Lexi groaned internally, thinking that this woman wasn't unlike a teenage girl. She vaguely remembered taking a picture of Zach when he wasn't paying attention for his contact picture in her phone.

She took out her phone and pulled it up, smiling a bit at it. He was wearing that smirk that he got when he had figured something out, staring off to the side at a monitor, which wasn't visible in the picture.

"He's adorable!"

Lexi grinned. "Yeah, he is." She was shaken by the honesty of her words, and then went to another picture that had been taken by Angela. The two of them were out of their lab coats, which was good considering that they were undercover, and Zach was holding Lexi's candy bar lazily above his head, while she was jumping up to try and get it. It was actually pretty funny, looking back on it.

"You two look so amazing together. Enjoy yourself," She dismissed Lexi, smiling a warm and sincere smile. Lexi just nodded and offered a small, half-hearted wave.

The young woman rushed to her car, not wanting to get caught up in more bridal business. She had gotten all she needed from this place. Besides, her scheduled meeting with the priest was in half an hour.

Lexi was surprised at how organized this agency was. They had their own dressmakers, their own priests, their own coordinators. They didn't want any outside help at all. She briefly wondered how that horrible of a person could work there.

She reached the chapel and smiled at how... T.V wedding it looked. It was white with solid double doors in front, surrounded by abnormally green grass and flowers along its border. Lexi walked up the steps and opened the door, hoping to find some more information here.

* * *

Zach, meanwhile, was trying on a tux. He looked around the office and discreetly took pictures when nobody else was in the room. A few of his findings were very urgent, so he called up Lexi to see if she could drive him back to the hotel.

"Hello?

"I need to get back to the hotel to email some pictures to Dr. Brennan."

"Sorry, Hun, I'm meeting with the pastor right now."

"When can you come and get me?"

"As soon as possible, Sweetie."

"Alright." Zach hung up on her and sighed, deciding to take things just a level further by asking questions.

A man came in and asked him how the suit was fitting. Zach told him it was fine and took it off, hanging it up neatly.

"If you don't mind me asking, did you know anybody by the name of Sam?"

"Yeah, sure, why?"

Zach shrugged. "I worked with him for a while, and I heard he was working here. I was wondering if I could see him."

The worker nodded. "I don't see why not. He's logged in as of and hour and a half ago, so you can follow me to his office." Zach was surprised by the fact that he was logged in, but followed the man anyways.

They reached a solid wood door that was labeled with his name. The worker ventured a knock, and when there was no answer, he pulled out a key ring. "He tends to lock himself up in there, you know?"

Zach wasn't really paying attention, and neither was the worker. He just pushed the door open and allowed Zach entry without even looking inside. Zach walked in and was left by himself, the door shut behind him.

_"If this were a competition, I would totally be winning right now." _Zach grinned and pulled out his camera, taking pictures of the possible weapons, and even a possible trace of blood. He also noticed the open window, another method of escape.

The door opened again, and Zach hurriedly hid the camera behind his back. The same man from before had come back. "Sorry to interrupt, but your fiance is here."

Zach thanked him before rushing to the car.

Lexi was waiting, and knew by the look on his face that Zach had found something.

"What's up?"

"The man told me that Sam had logged into work one and a half hours before I requested to go into his office," He rushed, barely understandable. "This must mean-"

"The killer has been covering for him. Nobody knows that he's dead!" Lexi cried.

"Except for the person that we called asking where he worked," Zach elaborated, getting that same smirk back.

"And who was that?"

"A man known as David Oskuel." He said.

Lexi went pale, her grip on the steering wheel tightening even as they reached a red light. "Holy. Cheeseburgers."

"What is it?" Zach inquired, fearing that Lexi's distraction may result in an accident.

"That's the name of the priest that I was just with."

**I was a bit inspired by the episode "Cinderella in the Cardboard." But anyways, a couple of things. This case is nearly over, because it's not as fun as I thought it would be. There are a few things that I wanted that had to be cut, and there are some things that are definitely happening in the next chapter. I'm going to say this could last maybe two more chapters. Thanks for reading! I'll have a personal reviewer shout out in the next chapter! If you have any ideas for an arc after this, feel free to suggest! I'm pretty open to stuff like that.**  
**~SnowKoyuki13**


	7. The Day of the Wedding

"Motive?" Booth asked, rubbing his forehead. He was partially exasperated by the fact that the squints were making random accusations and video calling him right after a very long and boring meeting, but mostly due to the fact that he had just found out that Lexi and Zach were sharing a hotel room.

"None that we can think of." Zach stated, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Opportunity?"

"Both were seen leaving the building at the same time just before time of death," Lexi pitched in, plopping down on the bed next to Zach.

"Weapon?"

Zach beamed him one of the pictures he found in Sam's office. "See, the chain of this tie chain would be exactly congruent with the markings found on the bone, and markings seem to show contact with blood. Hodgins also found chemicals from gold varnish embedded in the bone."

"So they could have been anywhere when he was killed?"

Lexi nodded. "When Hodgins finishes with the particulates we should know the exact location."

"Alright..." Booth trailed off, thinking. "Listen, I believe you guys. But I can't just go make an arrest without a motive. Find a motive, and I'll come straight down there."

Lexi sighed and ended the call, collapsing onto her back and staring at the bumpy ceiling. "Why does there need to be a motive? Can't someone just kill for the sake of killing?"

Zach's eyes grew. "Are you saying that killing without reason is justified?"

"Zach, I don't believe killing is ever justified, except under two circumstances." She leaned back on her hands, her naturally large eyes boring into Zach's.

"And what would those be?"

"Maybe I'll tell you someday." Lexi reached for the laptop and pulled up the federal search engine. She rapidly typed in their names, looked for relations between the two, scanned through every result quickly and efficiently. Even Zach, the speed-reading, math-formula genius was having a hard time keeping up with her.

"Lexi, at this speed isn't there something you could have missed?" Zach said. Lexi growled under her breath, meaning she was too busy or deep in thought to bother saying anything. Her phone rang, and she growled again.

Zach grabbed it as quickly as he could and answered, shutting off the shrill ring tone and sending Lexi back to work. "Zach Addy speaking."

Hodgin's laughed. "Dude, what are you doing on her phone?"

"She's... preoccupied." Zach cast a wary glance Lexi's direction, only to be met with the sight of her working equally as hard as she had been just a few seconds before.

Another laugh. "Whatever. I got the results from those flakes we found embedded in the lowest layer of dermis. They match with chemicals commonly used in Frankincense." Zach wasn't surprised, to be honest. If it had really been the priest, it wouldn't have been illogical for Sam to have been killed in a church.

"Okay. Thank you." He hung up without another thought and set the phone down.

Lexi managed a quick 'what is it' in the midst of her frantic search.

"Frankincense."

She paused for a second, then deleted her search results and started a new query. After a little under a minute, Lexi stopped short.

"You're sudden pause indicates that you have either grown tired or found something." Zach noted, scooting closer to the screen to see what it said.

Lexi smiled. "Other than it's use in perfume, Frankincense is uncommonly still used in religious ceremonies. The only church in the area that still uses it is the one I was just at today. The one run by David Oskuel." Her grin faded as she remembered just one small detail.

"Alright. So all you need to do is get back into the chapel and see if you can find any blood samples." Zach reached for the phone once more, preparing to call Booth.

"Zach..." Lexi looked down at her hands, which where knotted and sitting in her lap. "I never actually was allowed into the chapel. The only ones allowed in there are the cleaning crew, David, and the couple that is getting married." She cast a slightly embarrassed glance towards Zach.

He blinked, then sighed. "I guess we have several options. We can break in, risking being caught, or we could set a date to be 'married.'" Lexi had already realized these options, but knew that they were truly the only ways now that Zach had mentioned them. "If we choose the latter, however, if it turns out not to be true, our investigation here will have to be stopped."

The woman ran through the scenarios in her mind. She reached across Zach to her cell, wordlessly dialing a number and holding it to her ear.

"Hi. We'd like to set a date. That's right... Tomorrow."

* * *

Everybody at the wedding agency was in a panic. Never had they had to pull together a wedding this fast. Then again, there was to be no reception, leaving out a bulk of the work. There were no invitations needed to be sent out, only a legal witness had to be present. Rather simple. The only real arrangements that had to be made were for a dress and a suit.

Lexi and Zach met for some simple pictures just before the ceremony the next day, after calling Booth and telling him to start driving. Lexi had ended up wearing a strapless dress with a long, layered skirt and now gloves. She had been forced to carry a bouquet consisting of carnations. Lexi hated carnations.

Zach had a nice suit on, and while standing out in the garden with Lexi, eagerly awaited the moment that he could go inside and search. The photographer posed them for several shots. Hugging, laughing, things like that.

Finally, they parted ways, and while Lexi stood in a waiting room with David, Zach was inside, searching under pews and around statues for blood stains, hoping that the legal witness would take his own sweet time in getting there.

Lexi and David were having a commonplace conversation; hello, how are you, that kind of thing. But soon, the conversation took a turn for the worst.

"So, _Lexi," _David emphasized, causing Lexi to freeze. She had gone by Alex and Alexandra the entire time they had been undercover. "I thought you and that boyfriend you had a while back were doing fine...Sam, was it?"

"How..?" Lexi gasped.

"Please. Don't you remember me?" He asked, any sign of a pleasant demeanor gone.

Lexi searched desperately through her memories, trying to remember his face, his voice, anything. She became tangled in it all, losing her train of thought.

David put on a look of fake hurt. "Oh, dear. Maybe this will jog your memory." He pulled a small swiss army knife from his jacket pocket and flipped it open, now taking a predatory stance with one leg slightly behind him and legs bent just a bit.

She would be lying to say that her expressions didn't give away her recognition of the weapon. Lexi remembered one of those nights... just another one of those nights that Sam brought a friend home. She remembered it being pressed against her neck, being pinned against the wall... the laughing.

"_You're too good for Sam... You'll be mine one day..."_

Those chilling words echoed in her mind, as she tried to put the face and the voice together.

"I was right you know... you were too good for him..."

Lexi's eyes grew watery. "You...killed him...because of me?"

David was taken aback. "How did you know he's dead? Nobody's supposed to know he's dead."

"I'm currently investigating his murder." She figured there was no harm in telling him what exactly she was doing; her cover was already blown. "I'm a forensic anthropologist; we found his remains and Zach and I have been undercover this entire time."

A sick, twisted smile grew on David's face. "Well then..." He started, dropping his arm down to his side. "I guess now that you know it was me... I can't really let you go."

He lunged forward, narrowly missing Lexi as she leaped aside and slammed her body full force into the wall. She felt a moment of sharp pain, that dulled only slightly as she pushed herself away to dodge another attack, only slightly hindered by the wedding dress.

"Zach!" She screamed, using her hand to cushion the blow between herself and another wall. A sickening crack that Lexi knew too well as the sound of breaking bone filled her ears, distracting her for just a second, giving David the perfect opening.

And, in the five seconds that followed, several things happened all at once.

Zach burst through the double doors.

Booth and Brennan ran through the front door, guns loaded.

Lexi fell to the floor, having been cut across her side.

Booth pulled the trigger.

David hit the ground, dead.

Zach rushed to Lexi's side.

After those five seconds ended, Zach pulled Lexi gently to the side and rested her back against the wall. He could feel her gasping for air, trying to get enough oxygen.

"Lexi..." He murmered comfortingly, bending in closer. One of his hands was wrapped around her smaller one, and the other gently brushed the tears from her cheeks.

"Zach... Seeley... Bren..." Her voice was soft, not lacking a tone of urgency. Her eyes darted back and forth between them and herself, the blood a startling contrast from the pure white of her wedding dress. She finally settled on Zach, noticing the look of concern she had never before seen in his eyes...

Before letting herself go.

**I liked writing this chapter- sorry for taking so long! It's been a little hard these past few weeks. Thanks for everybody who has reviewed this story- this includes: Astrae splendent, OutlawKnight, televisionluver, FlipperDoodle, ThePenIsMighty, Terra Young, Rambo112, linniepooh123, AddictedToStendanKisses, Anonymous, Caroline, ilovefi123, Meike, AzulaWolf, , and EthanPrincess. A very, very special thanks goes out to Dark Angel 792, who has reviewed every chapter of this story! Gold star!**  
**I love you all. Please keep reviewing!**  
**~SnowKoyuki13**


	8. The Feelings in the Facts

_Her eyes darted back and forth between them and herself, the blood a startling contrast from the pure white of her wedding dress. She finally settled on Zach, noticing the look of concern she had never before seen in his eyes..._

_Before letting herself go._

The next thing that Lexi knew, she was awake in a hospital bed. She let her eyes flutter open slowly, resting her gaze upon the cracked white ceiling for a second before attempting to lift her neck.

The weight of her head was too much for her tired body to handle, and it fell back onto the pillow with a light thud. Instead of attempting this again, she glanced around the room, moving her head only in certain directions.

It appeared to be completely devoid of life, aside from her, but a stir to her right caused her to jerk in the direction. In a small, rather uncomfortable looking chair, was Zach Addy, wearing a white dress shirt and an unbuttoned black jacket. The dress shirt was stained with blood, and Lexi realized with a start that it could only be hers.

She remembered what had happened just before the 'wedding ceremony,' and shuddered. _"Dead, huh? Both of them..." _

"Zach." Lexi croaked, not realizing how dry her throat was. She wondered how long it had been since she'd had anything to eat or drink.

He woke, then slid his chair over to her bedside. "Lexi. How are you feeling?'

"How long has it been?" Lexi inquired. She didn't really want to answer his question, so she just countered with another question.

"Almost 20 hours." He yawned, trying to be subtle about it. Zach didn't want Lexi to think he had been losing sleep.

Lexi nodded. "Why are you still wearing those clothes? They're bloody. And dirty. Go change." She ordered, like a mother would say to their child. Truth be told, she really just didn't want to see anybody wearing clothes that had that much of her blood on it; or any of her blood on it for that matter.

"I've been told not to leave your side until Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan get back."

"Where are they?" Lexi figured they'd be around; somewhere in the hospital, waiting, talking to doctors.

Zach sighed. "Booth has to go explain to his boss why he shot David Oskuel. He wasn't very pleasant about the whole thing..."

Another nod. Lexi tried pushing herself up to a sitting position, but found herself uncomfortable leaning against the rough, hardwood headboard. Zach, ever reliable, grabbed another pillow for her, seemingly out of thin air, and positioned it between her back and the backboard.

"Zach..." Lexi started, wondering exactly how to ask this question. "Why is my blood on your shirt?" She could remember being stabbed, that Lexi remembered _very _well. She recalled looking into Zach's eyes. And the rest... black.

He blushed. "You see.. when I was carrying you outside to await the ambulance, even though the bleeding had stopped, some of the blood on your dress ended up transferring to my shirt."

"Oh. Cool."

Zach's eyes grew large and quizzical. "Cool? Lexi, that's definitely not 'cool' if I believe you are using that word in the current context. However, if you are trying to say that it is cold in here, I do agree that there is a draft."

Lexi laughed, but tried to stop as it racked her sore body with a slight pain, the kind you get after you've been coughing a lot for days and it hurts your abs to cough more. "Sorry, Zach. I didn't mean either definition, I just said the word." She laughed again, but this time the pain in her side grew sharper, and Lexi cringed.

"Are you alright?" Zach reached for her hand, grasping it and rubbing the back soothingly with his thumb.

"Yes. Hey Zach?" She began, not sure of what to make of the 'hand-holding.'

"Yes?"

"Um... I was just wondering... why you were holding my hand. We're not undercover anymore." Even though Lexi figured this was the reason for his actions, she hoped that somewhere deep down that there was maybe another reason...

The young genius drew away just a bit, but returned to his original position anyways. "That wasn't my reason, Lexi. I seem to find myself more at ease like this."

"Like what?"

A pause. A second drew into ten, before Lexi got a response. "I'm not sure."

Lexi could feel her face turning pink...actually, she was positive it was tomato red now. But to distract from that, she pulled her hand away gently and placed it with her other hand in her lap.

"Okay... Uh...shouldn't you, like, go get the doctor or something?" She asked.

Zach went rigid and stood abruptly. "Right." He walked out and Lexi watched in disdain as a doctor walked in, without him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, sitting down in the swivel stool and sliding over.

"I'm feeling alright. Um.. if you don't mind me asking, where's Zach?" Lexi wanted to make sure that Zach wasn't mad at her.

"Sorry, but we don't allow people not in the immediate family in during this time." She breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

After the doctor double checked her injuries and found that they were going to be healing just fine, Lexi was discharged from the hospital and allowed to drive home.

Zach sat next to her in the car, flipping through a magazine he had gotten at the hospital cafeteria. It had something to do with engineering, but Zach didn't seem to be very interested in it. Instead, he flipped it closed and stuck it under his seat.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel ill at ease." He stated, repeating what he had said that first day they had gone undercover.

Lexi shook her head and bit her lip. "Listen, Zach-"

He interrupted. "I understand if you feel this will somehow alter our working relationship."

"Zach. Just listen to me." She paused for just a second to make sure he was really paying attention. A sigh. "I don't feel uncomfortable when you hold my hand. What makes me feel a bit uncomfortable is the fact that it feels so...comfortable."

His eyebrows were knitted together as he tried hard to understand her contradictory statement. "I don't understand. You just said that being comfortable makes you uncomfortable... please clarify."

Lexi tried to find a better way to say it. "I feel at ease, as well, when you hold my hand. But I don't believe I should, which confuses me and my confusion causes me to be uncomfortable. Do you follow my reasoning?" She watched as the befuddled look on his face morphed into one of perception.

"Yes. Your statement is very clear to me now."

Silence for the rest of the ride back.

* * *

Lexi pulled up to Hodgins's garage and put the car in park. As Zach exited the vehicle and went to get his two bags out of the trunk, Lexi offered to help him carry them up.

"No, you shouldn't be doing any heavy lifting while you are still healing." He insisted, grabbing both of them himself. He slung the messenger bag over his shoulder and a small suitcase was sitting on the ground behind him.

"It's not that heavy!" She said, reaching for the handle. Zach swatted her hand away and shook his head. "I'll be fine!"

"You can't!"

Lexi scowled at him, pushed the suitcase over so it was lying flat on the ground and sat on it cross-legged. Zach stared down at her, exasperated.

"Please get up."

"No."

"Please?"

"Nope."

He crossed his arms and frowned disapprovingly. "You always tell me to say please when I ask for things and that you'll do it."

"Not now."

"I find myself irritated at your childish behavior." Zach stated simply.

Hodgins pulled up in his car several yards away from them, listening and watching them closely.

"Get up!"

"Don't yell at me!"

"I wouldn't be yelling if you got up in the first place!"

He raised an eyebrow as Zach bent down,looped his arms underneath Lexi's armpits and pulled her up and off of his suitcase and closer into him. An amused chuckle managed to escape his lips as he watched them freeze for just a second before both of their faces turned red and they moved apart.

Hodgins got out and slammed his car door behind him, giving both of the young genii a start.

"Hey you two. How's it going?"

Zach had returned to his normal skin tone. Lexi however, was still blushing. "I was just dropping Zach off. Um.. I guess I'll be going. See you guys tomorrow." And her hasty exit was made as she practically leaped into her car and sped off.

"Dude," Hodgins began, grabbing Zach's suitcase and preparing to carry it up his stairs. "We need to have a talk."

"What kind of talk?"

"Okay, I distinctly remember telling you that you could initiate a relationship with Lexi the day she began working at the Jeffersonian."

Zach grimaced. "Oh. That kind of talk." He was bad at things like that; things like guy talk, girls, really just people in general.

"I just really think you should consider it, that's all."

Zach pursed his lips. "I have. And I have found that it wouldn't greatly affect how we work together. However, I would see us as improbable and therefore most likely unsuccessful partners."

Hodgins shook his head dissaprovingly. "Listen, Z-man. You guys would be great together. I suggest giving it a shot."

Pause as the reach the door to Zach's apartment and push it open. "How?"

"Just relax...I'll help you." Hodgins grinned evilly, worrying Zach to no end.

* * *

The next day at work, Lexi was already on the platform when Hodgins and Zach arrived. Hodgins bent in closer to Zach and whispered in his ear, "Ask her if she's feeling alright."

"I was going to do that anyways."

"Just go. I'll be at my work station." Hodgins left Zach to go up by himself, and as he approached Lexi, she turned around and smiled.

"Good morning!" She seemed much more chipper than usual. Zach smiled too, and allowed his eyes to drop to her side, the side that had been cut only two days before.

He pulled on a pair of gloves. "Hello, Lexi. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She asked, looking at him as if he had just asked if she was going to dye her hair purple when she got home.

"Well, you know..." He brought a hand to the injured area, causing Lexi to almost drop the bone she was cradling in her hands.

"Oh. That. Yes."

Zach pulled his hand away and sighed at his failed attempt. Booth walked onto the platform with his hand on the small of Brennan's back, smiling at his cousin.

"Hey, Lex! Feeling alright?" Booth asked enthusiastically.

She grinned. "Good!"

Zach watched their interaction, jealous that Booth had done basically the same thing as him and gotten such a different and more positive reaction.

"It's good to have both of you back," Brennan said. "I found it very dull without anybody else to understand all of my, in the vernacular, 'bone speak.'" Lexi beamed.

Walking up to the skeleton on the table, Bones grinned at them both.

"Shall we?"

**So, as one arc ends...**  
**I'm willing to take recommendations for another! **  
**Anyways...YOU GO ZACH! YOU GO GET HER! DAS RIGHT. So, Zach's stepping up his game a bit! Thank you for everybody who reviewed, there will be another shoutout in the next chapter! Please review again! I love you guys! Oh, and for you BoothxBrennan shippers out there, I may be having a new story out in a week or so! Keep an eye out!**  
**~SnowKoyuki13**


	9. The Couple after the Confession

The next few days, Zach often ended up staying up late at Hodgins's main house, asking him questions about Lexi and how to further their relationship.

"Listen, man, just be yourself. But don't get stuck in the friend zone; look her in the eyes, touch her gently, those kinds of things. I don't really know how to explain it to you..." He trailed off, sighing at what could possibly be a lost cause.

Zach shook his head persistently. "But you always have girlfriends. How could you not know how to become involved with them?"

Hodgins laughed. "One, because I'm hot," He watched Zach frown, then went on. "Two, I'm normal." Zach's frown grew into a scowl. "Three, you and Lexi... you two have such a weird relationship... I'm not sure exactly how to explain it to you in your case."

"I see."

* * *

At work the week after the two anthropologists had returned, Zach was on his guard, trying to impress Lexi. She sat down in the lounge, eating some kind of pasta and going over some catalogued injuries. Lexi was quite focused, that was until Zach came over and began a conversation with her.

"Good afternoon, Lexi." He greeted, shrugging off his lab coat and handing her a can of soda.

She grinned. "Thanks."

There was silence for a moment, before Zach interrupted it again. "Lexi...I was wondering if we could have a more in depth conversation than the one we had last week." He waited anxiously for her response.

"Which conversation?"

"The one we had in the car after I held your hand in the hospital."

"Okay." Zach was taken slightly aback by this response. From what he had gathered, most girls were reluctant when addressing such subjects.

Lexi gestured forward with her hand. "Go on, Zach."

"Right. I was going to say that I find your presence very calming, and was wondering if you have noticed that I've been acting different lately."

Lexi eyes twinkled. "Actually, I have been wondering about that. Even though I have several thoughts on the subject, I have found that the one most likely situation seems to be less plausible." Her manner of speaking was a cross between casual and intelligent, so she wouldn't have to think very hard but could also make sense to Zach.

"And that situation would be?"

Her eyes grew serious and hard, looking square into his. Zach had never been one to believe in this, but at the moment he thought he could see just a hint of reluctance in their dark shade, but also excitement.

"That you like me as more than a friend," She stated, dropping his gaze.

Zach opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, just an occasional noise or start of a syllable.

"I pegged it, didn't I?" Lexi joked, laughing and giving him a gentle push on the shoulder.

He finally had the nerve to respond. "If 'pegged it' is a phrase implying that you were completely correct, then yes, you have 'pegged it.'" His cute 'I'm confused but think I get it' look appeared, making Lexi reach for his much larger hand and intertwined their fingers.

"Do you have a question for me?" Lexi inquired, trying to coax him into getting to his original point.

"Yes. My inquiry is as to whether or not you would be comfortable pursuing a romantic relationship with me. However, it is my understanding that the way you are holding my hand is a sign of approval, but forgive me if that isn't so. I have also been led to believe that-"

Lexi silenced him by placing a finger to his lips. "I would love that, Zach. But can I ask one favor?"

"Anything."

She wasn't sure if she was offending him by asking, but Lexi asked, "Do you mind if we keep it between us for the first month or so?"

"Why?"

"If... this doesn't go the way we want it to... I don't want the rest of the team to be split between the two of us as if they think we won't be able to work together again. That would just make it worse." Lexi said, giving his hand a squeeze before retracting it.

Zach let this process in his head for a second. "That seems logical."

"It's going to be hard, you know." She joked.

"I am well aware of that."

* * *

The two of them found it exceedingly difficult to conceal their mutual feelings towards each other as they worked side by side every day. In fact, they actually tried to keep a larger distance than before.

Hodgins became aware of this, and pulled Zach aside into Angela's office.

"Dude, what happened? I thought you were trying to get her to like you." He looked kind of pissed off, giving him a look of confusion combined with exasperation.

Zach blinked at him. "I've decided that I should focus on my research for just a while longer while I am working towards my second doctorate." Hodgins shook his head.

"But if you stop showing interest entirely, you and Lexi will always be stuck in the 'friend zone'!" He cried.

Angela stood in the doorway, her expression a mix of confusion, pleasure, and anger. "What?"

Both of the men looked warily in Angela's direction. "Oh...Hey Angie." Hodgins waved and then began side-stepping his way out of her office, only to have her whack him on the head with her sketchpad.

"Both of you. Sit. Down." She pointed stiffly to her couch and watched in amusement as Hodgins and Zach obeyed as quickly as possible.

"You," Angela aimed her finger at Zach. "You like Lexi, correct?" Zach tilted his head to the side before nodding.

Hodgins squirmed under Angela's gaze, which was now directed at him. "Why the hell didn't you tell me! This is my project too!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I..uh..."

"Right. Now, here's how all this is going to go down. Lexi likes you," She said, indicating Zach, who tried to look just a bit surprised. "And you like her. So, you go ask her out. Now."

Zach furrowed his eyebrows and struggled to come up with a statement. "Wouldn't she be taken aback by the sudden question?"

"Yes. Which is good."

"I fail to see how."

Angela stomped her foot on the carpet, making a scuff mark that she adjusted by brushing back over it gently. "Just go."

"No thank you." Zach stated curtly, before pushing up to a standing position. "If I'm no longer needed, then I'm going to get back to work on my dissertation." And with those words, he exited to his work area.

Angela sighed. "Hopeless."

Hodgins grinned. "I have an idea."

* * *

Later that day, Lexi and Zach were in Zach's work area, 'looking at x-rays' from their latest victim. Well, at least that's what they were supposed to be doing. What was actually happening was that Lexi was sitting atop of Zach's desk, holding his hand while _he _looked over the x-rays.

"You know, Zach," She said warily. "Breaks are typically used so one can have a time without work." Lexi knew that Zach wasn't going to stop until he found his cause of death, but it was worth a shot to just ask.

He shook his head, his floppy brown hair bobbing along with it. "I'm well aware of that. However, you may be taking your break now, and I will simply take mine later." Zach squinted down at the photo negative, then held it up to the light to see it better.

"You should take your break now, Zach." Lexi coaxed, brushing the back of her hand along his cheek.

Zach, instead of acknowledging her suggestion, took note of an odd habit. "Have you noticed that when you are speaking to me, you almost always end your sentences with my name?" She tilted her head to one side.

"Explain to me, Za-" Lexi caught herself before she uttered the entirety of his name, realizing that what he said was, in fact, true.

"Why do you think that is?" He asked, putting down the x-ray sheet and swiveling to take both of Lexi's hands in one of his, looking up into her eyes as he did so often before they were even a couple.

"I think it's because I like you so much," She teased.

All she got in return was a nod before Zach picked up the x-rays once more and gave them all of his attention. "Zach," Lexi whined.

"Yes?"

"Take your break with me."

"I'm busy."

Lexi shook her head and sighed. She then plucked the pictures from his hands and turned his chair with her feet. Lexi looked into his eyes with intensity, before leaning in just a bit...

Zach could see what was happening and bent forward to meet her halfway, feeling her lips just barely graze his for a second before they were fully pressed against each other.

That's right- their first kiss with each other was in the Jeffersonian. At a work station. Which, for them, was oddly romantic.

It was a sweet kiss, with no making out of any sort. Lexi pulled back and grinned. "Now will you take your break with me?"

"Of course."

After hanging out for a little while, Zach and Lexi both had to get back to their jobs.

Which is when Hodgins and Angela decided to interfere.

**Sorry about how long it took me to update. :( not happy with this chapter, really. Probably because of the suddenness of the relationship, but I know firsthand that sometimes things happen like that. Oh well. Review please!**  
**~SnowKoyuki13**


	10. The Trap in the Closet

Hodgins hastened over to Zach, a small smile gracing his lips. "Hey, there, Z-man. Mind helping me with some equipment?"

Zach looked up at him. "What kind of equipment?" He inquired, wondering if this had anything to do with an impending experiment. Zach's hopes then fell, recalling that they were still not allowed to perform an experiments after the last time they set off the bio-hazard alarm.

"Just some stuff that Brennan wants me to bring over to my office to work on some particulates." Hodgins said, reaching for a bone absentmindedly, only to have his hand swatted away by Zach.

"And you can't use your current resources, because..." Zach trailed off so Hodgins could finish his sentence for him; a technique he had learned from Lexi.

"Please, Zach. Don't question the ways of Brennan."

"Scientific inquiry suggests that we-" The man stopped himself when he noticed the glare from the shorter man in front of him. "I shall assist you."

Hodgins reached over and patted Zach on the back. "'Atta boy, Zach!" He pulled him over to the storage closet, which was surprisingly small. Of course it wasn't the only storage closet in the Jeffersonian, but it was one of two provided for the forensics department.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lexi was lying on her back on the floor of Angela's office, holding up some x-rays to the light and pretending to stare at them. She was actually replaying her and Zach's kiss from earlier over and over in her mind.

_"He's so adorable..."_ She cast a sorry glance over to Angela, who was sketching (as usual). _"I wish I could tell her about it..."_

"Hey, sweetie, would you mind helping me get some art supplies from the storage closet?" Angela set down her pad and looked hopefully towards the younger woman.

"Sure, of course!" Lexi set down the photo negatives on a table and rushed to her feet, eager to assist. She stumbled for just a second, due to head rush.

"You okay?" Angela asked, desperate to get the plan moving but still worried for the well-being of Lexi.

"Yeah, let's go."

Lexi reached the storage closet and opened the door, only to feel a pair of strong hands push her gently, but firmly, forward and into the closet.

She felt a pair of arms wrap around her, preventing her from falling to the floor.

"Zach?"

"Lexi."

Lexi sighed and sat down. "Hodgins?" She asked him, patting the ground next to her.

"Yes, how did you-" He stopped and thought. "Angela."

Lexi nodded with a look one might see when somebody had stated the obvious as though it were the most difficult thing to figure out in the world, which, of course, Zach had.

"Bravo, Zach. Would you like a cookie?" She inquired sarcastically.

Zach took the seat on the ground next to her, a puzzled frown gracing his lips in a slight downward turn. "I find that a cookie would be enjoyable, but fail to see why you would have one with you at such a time."

"Sarcasm, Zach."

"Right." He paused, stretching his legs as far as they would go in the small space out in front of him. "Besides," Zach continued, "If there was a cookie, I wouldn't keep it for myself. I would give it to you." Zach did a sort of goofy half smiled, half frown, the kind he only used after some chivalrous act that wouldn't be done to anybody other than Lexi. Even something as simple as giving her the only cookie.

Lexi smiled back at him, but then suddenly straightened her back as though she had become aware of something in an instant. She pressed a finger to her lips, signaling Zach to be quiet, then gestured towards the shadowy door. Through it, you could just barely make out two shadows, crouching down on the other end with their faces very near the door.

Two shadows that seemed exactly the size of Angela and Hogdins.

Thinking for a second as far as what to do, Lexi then pulled out her phone, opening up a blank text message and clicking away at the QWERTY keyboard before handing it to Zach.

**They're listening. Try to sound like we're just friends.**

He nodded. "So, have you finished with those x-rays yet?" His voice was perhaps just a bit to loud; Zach was definitely 'over-acting.'

Lexi tried to stifle a laugh. It ended up coming out as a quick little burst of air. "Yeah. It appears that our victim was strangled to death, but I'll need to wait until the flesh is completely removed to be certain. X-rays can only go so far..."

"But sometimes they can provide you with information you wouldn't have seen otherwise," Zach interjected, now talking with a normal tone of voice. Although him and Lexi were a couple, they had become accustomed to acting like they were simply colleagues. Besides, it wasn't as though they still didn't have work; romantic couple or not, they still had to confer about these kinds of things regularly.

Angela had abandoned her first position of squatting for one of kneeling. After five minutes of that, she complained that her knees hurt and sat down on her bottom, resting her back against the door with her head turned sideways to listen.

Hodgins noticed this and did the same, turning his head the opposite direction of hers so they were face to face. The door was small, seeing as it was for a small closer, so there was literally only a couple of inches between their lips...

Jack shook himself out of it. "Now is not the time! You are doing this for you best friend!" He muttered, "Do you really think this will help at all?"

Angela laughed and whispered, "Of course it will. It's not like it'll make things any worse, anyways."

"Point taken."

Zach and Lexi, meanwhile, were also doing some eavesdropping. They were sitting as close as they could to the door without making it obvious that they were trying to backfire Angela and Hodgins's plan. Lexi sighed, stood for a second to stretch her legs, then sat back down, resting her head on Zach's shoulder.

"How long do you think we'll be in here?"

Zach looked at his watch. "Seeing as it is already late evening, I doubt Hodgins and Angela will leave us here overnight, or for even more than an hour." As soon as the words escaped his mouth, he stared with wide eyes down at Lexi, who had the exact same idea as him. She pressed her palm to her face, then leaned her head back against a shelf in exasperation.

"Don't be giving them ideas! Great, now they're-" She was interrupted by the sound of somebody groaning, an incomprehensible mumble, then the sound of shoes clicking the cold floor as two people walked away from the storage closet.

"Great," Lexi muttered. "Just the way I wanted to spend my night; trapped in a closet. At work, no less."

Zach pursed his lips and then put an arm around Lexi's waist, giving a gentle squeeze as his hand reached the other side of her body. "Well, I guess it's not all bad," She grinned cheesily. replacing her head on his shoulder.

"I think this could actually be quite enjoyable."

* * *

Several hours later, it was close to midnight and it was obvious that everybody had already left. Thank goodness the light switch was inside of the closet, or they would be sitting in the dark.

They had easily passed the time with idle chit-chat, couple talk, and work talk as well, though the latter came up far less often than the other two.

Now, as their eyelids grew heavy and yawns became far more constant, Lexi was teaching Zach how to play Angry Birds.

"See, what you do is you pull back in the slingshot and then let go when you have it so the bird will go the wanted velocity," Lexi instructed, adding 'velocity' to appease Zach. (For those who don't know, velocity is speed in a given direction.)

"Like... this?" Zach released the red bird, and it let out a squeal as it flew through the air and collided with a wooden structure.

"Yeah, exactly. And with this one, you tap the screen when its in the air and it drops an egg bomb... so wait until its over the... over..." She was interrupted by a long yawn, before she finally give into sleep and nodded off.

Zach turned the brightness on the phone down low, exited the game, and placed it in the corner so there would be a bit of light in case they woke up. He then used his long arms to reach the light switch. This made the room the perfect brightness, so Zach could fall asleep while the glow of Lexi's smartphone illuminated her beautiful face...

**I'm back.  
Hopefully.  
For any of you writers out there, I'm sure you know what its like not to be able to touch your writing... I'm not sure why, but I just couldn't bring myself to work on this... I apologize.  
Leave a review please.**  
**~Snow**


	11. The Discovery of the Dating

Lexi woke with a start, sweat glistening off her face in the dim light of the storage closet. She felt Zach's arm resting limply around her and was automatically comforted by his presence.

Although it had been a couple weeks since the McIngsworth case, Lexi still had nightmares on occasion. She sighed gently, trying to remain still so as not to wake Zach. Aside from when they had shared a bed while undercover, Lexi had never slept beside Zach. She knew he would be worried, but failed to see how telling him would be beneficial...

Lexi didn't have to worry about this any longer, for Zach's eyes fluttered open and met hers quizzically, taken in her disheveled appearance. "Are you alright? You look distressed..." He brought a hand to her forehead, his skin cool against her hot flesh. "You're warm, but it seems to be from high heart rate as opposed to fever. Did you have a nightmare?"

She hesitated, and without even responding Zach knew what the answer would be. "Sam?"

Lexi bobbed her head gently up and down, releasing a deep breath in an attempt to cool herself down. It worked, somewhat.

Zach pulled her into his chest, her head under his chin, and she could feel him running his hand up and down her back soothingly. Lexi pushed away and smiled at him, pushing herself upwards for their second kiss.

Zach met her eagerly, and what started out as an innocent peck soon progressed into something more intense. They deepened it, arching their bodies closer to each other, barely having time to stop for breath. This went on for a minute or so, until Zach finally stopped, rather abruptly.

Lexi looked up at him, trying to meet his brown, puppy-like eyes. She couldn't, however, because they were averted, looking off into some not-so-distant corner of the closet.

"Zach?"

No answer.

"Zach..."

His only response was a sigh and a turn of the head towards her, his eyes guilty and apologetic.

"Zach." This time, Lexi said his name tersely, reaching for his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sorry..." He muttered.

"Sorry?"

"Seeing as you were previously distressed, it could alter your state of mind. therefore compelling you to do things you wouldn't do normally-"

"Zach, listen. I kissed you because I wanted to. No other reason, okay?" She assured him, her hands cradling his face in her hands and resting her forehead against his.

He smiled and pecked her lips with his. Zach checked the time. "How much longer until you think we get let out?"

Lexi rocked back and forth. "I don't know..." She blushed at the awkward, internal admission that she really, really had to pee. Zach sighed and leaned against the shelf lazily.

"I honestly don't understand why they can't just let us be..." Zach muttered, half to himself and half to his girlfriend.

Lexi shook her head. She didn't understand either, and the more she tried to, the less sense it made, so she had long since given up on that. "You know, I might have been wrong about keeping it between us. Maybe we should tell them. It would be easier you know, if they already knew about it."

The genuis contemplated and shrugged. "It's your decision. You were the one who brought up hiding it in the first place."

Lexi opened her mouth to spit back a response, but was cut off by the sound of voices and footsteps. There were three seperate sets, each with its own distinct personality. One was sharp, brisk, and deliberate, clicking with every step. The person who owned the footsteps was clearly in a hurry, but was in no way compromising themselves to take care of the task at hand.

A second set was frantic, gentle taps that seemed to be following the brisk, clicking dress shoes of the first set.

The third set of footsteps was sneakers, gently padding along and barely audible. The owner was clearly very laid back, not really caring so much about what was going on.

The voices were familiar; Cam, Angela, and Hodgins, their footsteps respective to their owners.

"You two are so childish! Locking them in a closet, honestly. Did that really seem the logical course of action?"

"Cam! I'm so sorry! We didn't plan on having them in there for that long, honestly, we were going to let them out in an hour or so, really-"

"Ange, cool it. Come on, Cam, you know they probably don't mind." Lexi and Zach could sense the amusement in the entomologists voice.

"That's enough, Dr. Hodgins!" The voices were growing louder to them, and Zach removed his arm from around Lexi's shoulder and slide a good few feet away to the adjacent corner of the closet just as there was a tinkling of keys, before the silver knob turned.

Cam peered through, taking in the sight of Zach and Lexi sitting together on the ground. Lexi pushed herself up, and ran without explanation past Cam and out into the lofty lounge of the Jeffersonian, desperate to get to the ladies room.

Zach, ever collected, stood slowly to avoid head rush and thanked Dr. Saroyan before leaving, shaking his head at Angela and Hodgins as he passed by them. He himself went to go to the bathroom, albeit in a much calmer manner.

* * *

That afternoon, Zach was examining a skeleton that had just been brought in. It was odd, partly because it was completely skeletalized, but somehow there was still a layer of some unknown grease coating the bones, preventing proper examination. Lexi was bent over the table, working on the tissue markers for Angela.

Zach swabbed a few samples from various areas of the body, placing them in plastic bags to give to Hodgins before standing to carry out said act. Lexi stopped him, however, gently taking the baggie from Zach's grasp and gingerly placing the victim's skull into his gloved hands.

"Wouldn't you prefer to see Angela and have a 'woman talk,' as Hodgins has called it, with her?" Zach inquired, looking down at the woman, confused.

She shook her head. "Listen, the last thing we want to do right now is see our best friends. Yeah, I'm close with Hodgins and you're also close with Ange, but its different. It won't be as awkward, trust me." Lexi offered that bit of explanation before they both headed their seperate ways. 

* * *

_Hodgins' Office_

Lexi knocked on the glass door and hung her head in, dangling the bag from her fingertips.

"I've got the samples you wanted. I'm going to say it's not an organic material, considering how hard it was to remove, and the fact that it hasn't degraded too much over time." Lexi had taken several entomology classes. Of course, she was nowhere near Hodgins' calibur, but she could offer explanations for the simple things.

Hodgins peered up at her from his microscope before wordlessly putting his hand out for the bag. Lexi dropped it into his grasp and watched inquisitively as her gently tossed it aside, ignoring it completely.

"So, shorty, are you going to tell me what went down in the closet, or am I going to have to consult the security cameras?" He laughed, becoming more and more amused as he watched Lexi's face pale and then turn bright red at the thought. _"Crap, there was a security camera in there? I didn't even notice!"_

Hodgins chuckled, before placing a sample of grease onto a clear petri dish. "So something did happen?" When Lexi didn't respond, Hodgins shook his head. "I'm not going to check the security cameras, I'm not that much of a lurker." Lexi sighed in relief, visibly more relaxed as she leaned against the threshold.

"Besides, its hard to get access to them if you don't have the right clearance." Lexi didn't say a word. "We just like messing with you two, that's all. I know Zach would probably kill me if he could, if he knew I was telling you this, but he likes you. A lot."

Even though she and Zach were going out, Lexi still blushed as she heard this. It wasn't like she had ever completely gotten used to the idea of him liking her, and it wasn't as though they said it to each other all the time. "Oh really?" She asked, even though she knew the answer. "What makes you figure that?"

"Are you kidding? You can tell by how he looks at you; his eyes follow you everywhere, especially when we're in the field. And he's told me before."

It was in that moment, hearing that, that Lexi realized just how close Zach and Hodgins really were. _"I mean, I know they live together, but I figured they had that casual neighborly relationship. You know, talking when they were taking out the trash, maybe having drinks every so often. Not that Zach drinks, but you get the point... Am I seriously explaining this to myself?_" Ever since Lexi had started seeing Zach, she was beginning to question her sanity even more than normal, after being around pure logic all the time.

Lexi stood and watched Hodgins work, before he typed something into his computer and the the screen began to sort through text at a rapid rate. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"I'm only saying this because I happen to like you, Lexi. But are you aware that Angela has access to the Jeffersonian's security recordings?"

And with that, Lexi was out the door, dashing towards the artist's office, not noticing the guffaws echoing from the one she had just abandoned. 

* * *

_Angela's Office_

Zach entered and placed the skull wordlessly onto Angela's table. She looked up from the recreational sketch she was doing and into the perplexed scientists big, brown eyes.

"Well hey there Zach. Did you enjoy your time with Lexi last night?" She asked, a grin tugging at the edges of her lips.

The man-boy pursed his lips before opening them to speak. "Angela, I have a favor to request."

"Sure, sweetie."

"I would like for you not to mention being locked in there with Lexi too much to her... I believe it would upset her." Zach stated, hoping that Angela would agree for Lexi's sake.

Angela gave a little aww before pushing her chair back and getting to her feet. "Sweetie... you really like her don't you? You wouldn't ask that just for anybody else."

Zach sighed and nodded, defeated. Angela raised her eyebrows in a somewhat knowing and sarcastic manner before turning on the Angelator/Angelatron and pressing a couple of buttons on her tablet.

To Zach's horror, a clip of him and Lexi, taken from a ceiling level vantage point, began to play. They were sitting on the floor of the closet, their bodies pressing against each other as they kissed, before Zach finally broke away as he had.

He was rigid with embarrassment, confusion, and even a bit of anger as Angela looked his way, and even more so when Lexi burst through the door, a mortified look appearing on her face as she noticed the video clip on replay.

Angela looked at the two of them skeptically.

"Care to explain?"

**I suck for not updating, and then I give you this short, chapter. Oh well, perhaps what went down will make up for it? I do not plan on updating until I get 50 reviews, so ya'll better get out there! (P.S- I'm serious, but not so intensely serious that I absolutely REFUSE to update, because that's not fair to those who do review.)  
~SnowKoyuki13**


	12. The Break in the Chase

**I can't even follow my own time lapses, because I'm not specific enough, haha. Anyways, let's say they've been dating for two weeks now? Kay? Kay.**

Zach stared down at the floor, cringing. Lexi was staring at the Angelatron in awed horror, her jaw hanging open.

Zach finally spoke, meeting Angela's expectant stare. "I would be very appreciative if you would turn that off."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Angela sing-songed at him, dangling her all-controlling tablet from her hands.

Zach, however, didn't see this as a valid reason. He took a slight step back to wrap his arm around Lexi's waist. "I imagine this is upsetting Lexi, so please, turn it off," He asked, attempting anything to calm down the emotions he was sure would be swirling within the small forensic anthropologist that he called his girlfriend. Angela was so surprised by this that she did as asked, and the lights faded to nothing.

"Now explain." She demanded.

Zach looked down at Lexi in search of assistance, but still saw her blankly staring ahead at the now empty void of the Angelator. He nudged her with his hand, and she responded by moving herself closer into him and resting her head on his chest/shoulder area.

"Ange," She started, Zach's warmth reassuring her. "We didn't just randomly make out. We're..." Lexi paused and sighed. "We're dating."

Angela's eyes brightened when she heard this. She grinned. "Oh really? So, our plan really worked? I knew it would!"

Lexi braced herself as she shook her head and announced. "It didn't. We've been dating for two weeks as of yesterday."

Angela's face dropped, like a kid who thought it was Saturday and then remembered that it was actually Monday and, no, they couldn't go to the park because they had to go to school. She slammed down her tablet with far too much force; maybe Brennan would buy her another one if it was broken. Angela's eyes were blazing, scaring Lexi further into Zach's arms.

"You've been dating for weeks and you didn't even tell me?" She screeched, stomping her foot. "Why not! This has been my goal since day one! DAY ONE!" Angela stopped, looking at Lexi cowering into Zach's chest, and both of them ignoring her as Zach craned his neck downwards and planted gentle kisses on top of her head.

Angela stared, dazed. "So cute..." She snapped her head up and clapped her hands together. "I've gotta tell Hodgins!" Angela dropped what she was doing ran out of her office door, and in a matter of milliseconds, Lexi was out of Zach's arms and following at a speed he never knew she had.

"Angela!" Lexi screamed, easily shortening the distance between herself and the other woman. When Angela didn't stop or respond, Lexi cried again, "Ange!"

Lexi took a bound forward and grabbed Angela by the collar, pulling her backwards and onto the floor, the momentum bringing Lexi along with her. She felt a crack in her right ankle before she hit the floor and cringed in pain.

Angela scrambled up to her knees, crawling closer to Lexi and allowing her mouth to fall open when she noticed the unnatural angle of Lexi's lower leg.

"Omigosh, Lex, I'm so sorry, what do I- I need to- What- Zach!" Angela cried back in the direction of her office. Her voice floated through the doorway, and when her alarmed tone reached Zach's ears, Zach dashed towards the two on the floor.

"Lexi!" He slid next to her, and look closely at her ankle, from which her eyes were determinedly averted. Being the bone expert he was, Zach could tell automatically that it was fractured in at least two places... and X-ray would be needed to be sure.

Angela, meanwhile, was sitting off to the side, still bumbling and trying to figure out what to say, not coherent at all. Hodgins exited his office, appearing quite relaxed as he carried a tray of micro-organisms towards the main platform. He noticed the group on the floor, and immediately set down the tray on the closest table before rushing to them as well.

"Zach, Ange, Lexi, what happened?" Angela just shook her head and pointed at Lexi. Zach and Hodgins both noted at once her pained expression and clammy face.

"Hodgins, get your car over to the front of the building. Lexi's ankle is fractured, we need to take her to the hospital to have it set." Zach ordered. The curly haired, blue eyed man complied and rushed to get to the parking garage.

"Lexi, I'm going to carry you down. I'll try to keep your ankle as steady as possible..." Zach explained. "Your fibula and part of your tibia are broken, which means you may feel nas-"

Lexi offered him a weak smile. "It's okay, Zach, I know what broken bones feel like. I've had my ribs broken several times..." She blanched, thinking back to the horrible feeling. Zach wordlessly placed his arms around her, lifting her gently.

It had been easy to forget that Angela was still present, seeing as she had shut up ever since Hodgins had shown up, but now she was back to rambling at full speed, wondering what she could do and inserting an apology between seemingly every 4-5 words.

Zach hated to make Angela feel bad, seeing as she hadn't meant any harm other than her innocent matchmaking, and it was mostly Lexi's own clumsiness that had caused her broken ankle anyways. "Angela, could you run to the cafeteria and get a towel and some ice, then meet us at the car as soon as possible?" She nodded and began running full speed to complete her task.

Lexi had drifted to sleep in Zach's arms, which put him at ease, knowing the pain wouldn't as severe when she was unconscious. The man still treaded carefully towards the front door of the Jeffersonian Institution. He made sure not to bump Lexi into anything, and soon he was out in the open air. Hodgins was just jerking to a halt in the 'no park' zone, opening the door and gesturing for Zach to hurry.

Angela had retrieved the ice and was now frantically speeding towards the car, swinging the back door open before diving into the passenger seat. Zach gently slide Lexi into the car and buckled her seatbelt for her, waking her up in the process. Zach noticed this, and slide into the car himself, buckling his seat belt.

As Hodgins turned to ask if they were all buckled, his eyes widened in surprise at what he saw. Lexi's leg was over Zach's lap, so as to keep her foot elevated. There was a pained but somewhat relaxed look in Lexi's eyes, and Zach was leaning over, brushing a strand of hair out of her face and planting a gentle kiss upon her lips, then another on her forehead.

Hodgins was so confused by the sight that he simply turned around and started driving, forgetting his original question. Angela handed Zach the ice, which he gently applied to the injured area.

As the car sped down the street towards the hospital, Hodgins tried to make sense of what was happening between Zach and Lexi. Had their plan worked? Or was there something else going on? Had that kiss been spur of the moment? So many questions were running in his mind that he almost missed his turn, jerking the wheel sideways and shaking the car quite a bit as he did so.

The broken ankle was flung to the side, causing its owner to wince. Her assumed boyfriend was immediately alert, his hand gently stroking her cheek. Zach only moved it when the car pulled into the parking lot, and he lifted Lexi up again and took her inside.

* * *

It took a while for them to actually get a cast onto Lexi. They had to fill out the emergency room paperwork, and then wait for their turn, seeing as the kid who had just split his head and the elderly woman who had fallen over a curb took a higher priority than Lexi, who was again sleeping blissfully on Zach's shoulder.

Angela was sitting opposite them, her head in her hands, still muttering useless apologies and regrets to nobody in particular. Hodgins was rubbing her back, and when she was finished with her babble, Hodgins asked, "Did I miss something?"

The artist tensed and pursed her lips. Lexi had broken her ankle chasing her, just as she was about to tell Hodgins. Would it really be respectful to tell him now?

Zach had noticed the question and caught Angela's eye. "We've been dating for a two weeks and a day now... Angela wouldn't have discovered our relationship had she not viewed the surveillance tapes and seen us kissing- making out, I believe it is in the vernacular. Anyways, Angela was rushing to inform you of her discoveries, when Lexi attempted to stop her by grabbing her, which is how she fell, fracturing several bones at the same time."

Hodgins blinked. Once. Twice. He looked between the two of them for a couple of seconds before grinning and reaching over to clap Zach on the shoulder. "Congrats, man!" He was met with a blank, incomprehensive stare.

"Perlind, Alexandra?" Called the nurse. Zach picked Lexi up once more and brought her to the nurse, who smiled at the couple before pointing him down the hall to the second door.

The doctor's office was cold, but the fact that it didn't particularly affect them made Zach realize that they had never taken off their lab coats, and likely appeared a bit strange. It didn't matter; all that mattered was Lexi.

Within the next hour, her cast was set and she was all ready to go. Hodgins and Angela had left and returned to work. Zach and Lexi were going to get a cab to take them back over, and as they sat in the hospital room waiting for the doctor to return with some take-home pain killers, Lexi shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Zach asked."Aside from the fact that you have recently fractured two bones."

Lexi let out an airy, humorless laugh. "I was just thinking about how many times you've seen me in the hospital since we've met..."

"It is true that you have been in the hospital more times than average since we have been associated."

"I don't like it."

"I don't understand why you would enjoy being a patient in a hospital."

Lexi sighed, too tired to explain anything. The doctor came back with a pair of crutches and a small box of pills, placing them in Lexi's hands and advising that she refrain from reckless activity. 

* * *

Back at the Jeffersonian when Zach and Lexi returned to renter the forensic platform, everybody was already there awaiting their arrival. Lexi was already having problems maneuvering the crutches, and getting up the four or five stairs seemed near impossible. Zach took them out from under her, supporting her weight with one hand as he placed them off to the side. He then slid his card and carried Lexi up the stairs, reaching over the side to retrieve the crutches and handing them back to her. Once more, he gently kissed her forehead, earning a grin from the young woman.

Everybody else on the platform, however, had quite different reactions.

Brennan, being herself, shrugged it off. She didn't care one bit about their personal lives as long as their work remained satisfactory. Angela and Hodgins shared a knowing smile between themselves. Cam sighed; another couple in the lab just meant more issues to manage. Sweets had a smug smirk on his face. He knew he had been right about their body language. Booth...

Booth didn't appear to be any specific emotion. Instead, he seemed a bit angry, combined with confusion, perhaps a sprinkle of irritation, but also some happiness. Zach noticed this and was suddenly apprehensive, taking a slightly reserved stance.

There was silence. Nobody knew what to start with, but of course, Bones had to put in her two cents. (Not that she would know what that means.)

"While it is interesting that Zach and Lexi have joined into a relationship with each other, to which I extend congratulations, it would be beneficial if we could continue our work."

Angela and Hodgins agreed, but looked slightly disappointed as they stalked off to their respective workplaces. Cam nodded fervently and walked to the body to retrieve DNA samples. Only the forensic anthropologists and FBI agent remained. Brennan looked at Booth expectantly, knowing he would have something to say.

"Listen, Lex... I just want you to be happy, alright?" Booth looked at his cousin, who was really more like a sister to him, and hoped that she saw the understanding in his eyes. He turned to leave, but before he did, Booth did a double back and added one last thing.

"And Zach? If you ever hurt her..." He trailed off, leaving the end of his threat to the imagination.

Lexi laughed, shaking her head at her cousin.

"I fail to see how this is amusing. It is likely that your cousin wishes to inflict bodily harm on me."

"That's only if you ever hurt me," She retorted. "And that will never happen, right?"

Zach paused. "It seems very unlikely, yes."

"Well there you go."

Brennan cleared her throat. "Could we please return to work?"

Zach was immediately alert. "Of course, Dr. Brennan."

A small giggle escaped from between Lexi's lips as she hobbled over to join them. Little did she know that this blissful moment would soon be interrupted...

**Sorry it took so long! My parents took our family on an unexpected vacation, so I couldn't access the first part of this chapter. I rewrote it, and apologize for any grammar problems or lack of my usual writing style as this is being posted hastily off of an iPod touch at a wifi hotspot. Please review! Also, is Zach kinda really OC or is it just me xD**  
**~SnowKoyuki13**


	13. The Next Step in the Relationship

Well, it was finally that time. Hodgins was driving Lexi to the hospital to have her cast removed after 11 weeks... almost three months of impeded movement, combined with her usual carelessness and clumsiness was almost too much for the staff of the Jeffersonian.

She sat next to him in the passenger seat, wishing that Zach had been able to come along. Unfortunately, it was a work day. Shame.

Hodgins grinned as he slowed to a stop at a red light. "So how are things going with you and Zach?" He was never able to get much information out of Zach himself, for he was both clueless and modest.

The girl covered her blush behind her black fringe of hair. "Fine, I guess."

"Fine? You guess?" He further inquired, pressing for more details.

"Well, it's going great. We don't go out a lot, we usually watch movies at his apartment or mine, and we talk a lot, sometimes I spend the night..." Lexi explained further. Hodgins was aware of the fact that she spent the night; he drove her to work in the morning when she did.

Hodgins shook his head, sighing. "What I really want to know is have you guys...well, you know... done it yet?" He asked, feeling only slightly silly as he did so. He wasn't a stranger to sex, nor did he feel uncomfortable asking Lexi about it.

Again, the girl failed to understand completely. "Done it? Done what?"

"Slept together." Hodgins stated bluntly.

"Well duh. It's not like he makes me sleep on the couch," She said, giving him a look of exasperation and amusement.

"Sex, Lexi. Have you guys had sex." The way he asked was almost like a statement, and there was no way for Lexi to keep her cheeks from going scarlet. "Gosh, have you... are you still a virgin?"

All of the color left her face, remembering the only other sexual experiences she had known. With a man who was now dead...

"No, I most definitely am not." She choked out, a furious look on her face as she tried to shake away her tears.

"You alright?"

Lexi breathed in hesitantly. What the rest of the group knew about her and McIngsworth was limited to the fact that he had been abusive to her. Only Zach knew that he abused her sexually as well, and she was reluctant to tell anybody else. Especially Booth.

"There's something you don't know."

Hodgins braced himself for something terrible, and readied himself to kick Zach's ass if necessary, not that he would be capable of hurting his own girlfriend, but it was the only thing he could think of.

"Sam-" She cut off as she began to cry a bit at the memories, but that name was all that Hodgins needed to hear to know what she meant.

"You don't need to say anything else," Hodgins told her, his hands tensing around the wheel to the point that Lexi could see his veins popping and his knuckles going paler.

"Thank you." She replied with gratitude. "And please-"

"I won't tell anybody. Especially Booth. Does Zach-"

"He knows. He's known since day one..."

Her tears were dried as they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and Hodgins helped her out of her side of the car, passing the crutches to her and assisting her balance.

* * *

After getting her cast off, Lexi was given a brace to wear for a week or so, just until her leg regained its strength from being unused for so long. They were due back at the Jeffersonian in an hour, seeing that the cast removal had been much shorter than expected, so Hodgins insisted on treating Lexi to lunch.

Lexi was in the middle of devouring a rack of baby-back ribs, when Hodgins revisited the subject of her and Zach.

"I bet Zach wants to do it with you, too." He mentioned casually, acting as though it was something so typical as the weather or sports.

Lexi nearly choked on her lemonade and slammed the plastic glass back down onto the table, gasping for breath for a couple seconds before regaining her control. "What makes you think I want to...do it... with him?" She replied indignantly, wiping her mouth on her napkin before placing it back on her lap.

"Come on. And even if Zach wanted sex, he wouldn't tell you. He would feel like he's pressuring you, or being innapropriate."

"Do we really have to discuss this?"

"Yes. He's my best friend, so I can only hope that he gets some every once and a while. Even if it is from you." Hodgins took a bite of his burger and wiped his mouth before continuing. "Anyways, especially because of you and... Sam... he's not going to want to pull a move on you. So as awkward as it's going to be, you're going to have to initiate."

Lexi was perfectly crimson at this point, and she finished off her last rib, wiping off her fingers, tossing the soiled napkin to the table, and crossing her arms over her chest. "Why do you think I need to initiate? How do you know I'm not perfectly happy at this level in our relationship?"

"Lexi, you've been dating for almost 3 months. And for the record, you radiate sexual tension, you and Zach both. Check please?" He stopped to ask a passing waiter, who nodded and hastily made his exit.

"Can we please change the subject!" She cried, covering her face in her hands.

"Nah."

"Jack Hodgins, we will talk about something else or I will shank you with my fork." Lexi threatened, raising said utensil menacingly. Knowing she was serious, the curly-haired man payed for their meal, glancing up at Lexi apprehensively every so often.

* * *

Back at the lab, everybody was eagerly awaiting Lexi's returning. She hobbled slightly because of the brace she had to wear, but made her way to the latest victim without any assistance. Zach was most anxious for her return, smiling just a bit in spite of himself as Lexi got closer to him.

"Miss me?" She asked playfully.

Zach bent down and whispered in her ear, "Always." Lexi flushed pink, but most definitely not the brightest she had been that day.

"Listen you two, I'd still like to maintain some degree of professionalism," Cam chastised, pulling on her standard-issue gloves and setting to work making secondary examinations on the fleshy remains of the body. "Please go check the x-rays." Zach and Lexi grabbed the folder that contained the negatives and started heading towards their shared workspace, but were immediately halted. "Where I can see you two, please," Cam requested, a hint of warning and amusement in her voice.

Brennan observed, mouth slightly opened, the way it was when she was thinking about something particularly hard.

"Interesting. You have requested that they stay where we can see them under the assumption that they intend on doing something that is not work related, correct?"

A sigh escaped Cam's lips. "Yes, Dr. Brennan, that is correct."

Booth entered through the sliding doors, Sweets following close behind. "Hey, Lex! How does it feel being out of your cast, kiddo?" Booth ruffled her hair, prompting a gentle slap from his cousin.

"It feels better, thanks." Lexi returned to her seat next to Zach. One of his arms was draped lazily behind her across the back of the couch, while the other was holding the x-rays up to the light.

Booth sighed. Now that Zach and Lexi were in a serious relationship, he actually had to start acknowledging the weirdo a bit more. "How's it going, Zach?"

"I find I was more at ease before you came here." Zach stated bluntly. He looked past Booth at Sweets. "Do you have profiling to do?"

The young man grinned. "Actually, I was hoping to talk to you and Lexi a little bit, if Agent Booth doesn't mind." Sweets shot him a look, and Booth grumbled something about going to see Bones before shuffling off in a huff.

"So, I was hoping to speak with you about the dynamic of your relationship, and whether or not it has effected your ability to work as colleagues. I would also like to speak to you about some... more personal aspects of your relationship due to events that might have occurred in the past." Sweets gestured in a forward motion with his hands, and both Zach and Lexi understood exactly what he meant.

"Has working together been any different?"

Zach was the first to pitch in. "No, both Lexi and myself are capable of categorizing work and personal relationships so the two don't have to intermingle."

"Does working together affect your relationship?"

Lexi responded cautiously. "We do talk about our work with each other a lot, but most of the time we talk about other things and act like any normal couple would..."

"Have you two had sex yet?"

Both subjects blushed furiously, looking away from each other. "Uh..." Lexi stuttered. "That would be a negative."

"Why do you think that is?"

Lexi looked up at Zach, tilting her head to look at him from a better angle. "Why do you think that is, Zach?"

Zach pursed his lips, his brain going 100 miles a minute. "I cannot thinking of a reasonable answer to that question. It should seem inevitable that we would engage in coitus sooner or later, seeing as how we are attracted to each other in all aspects and have spent several nights together."

Lexi grimaced and tried to hide her pink face from the young psychologist.

"Has it ever occurred to you that Lexi may be reluctant to engage in... coitus due to traumatic incidences in her past? And you may see it as another opportunity to fail in a relationship?" Sweets pointed out.

"I don't put much stock in psychology."

Sweets sighed. "Of course you don't. Never mind then." He got up and left, without another word.

Lexi sat, face still flaming, refusing to look at her boyfriend.

"Lexi-"

"I'm going back to work," She insisted, standing and retreating back to the platform.

* * *

The next Friday, Lexi had already been cleared not to use the boot any more, and she was sitting on Zach's bed going over a file, when the awkward forensic anthropologist came and sat next to her.

"Lexi..."

Lexi looked up from the file and smiled, giving Zach a chaste kiss before returning her attention to the page.

"Lexi, I am rather uneducated in this area, but my underlying human instincts along with every other male, except Agent Booth, that I am associated with is telling me that I must have the following conversation with you. I would appreciate it if my speech were given the entirety of your attention by you putting the case file aside."

Lexi just tilted her head in confusion. Zach took matters into his own hands and grabbed the file from her, reaching over his girlfriend and placing it on the nightstand beside his king sized bed.

"As has been suggested to me by Hodgins and to the two of us by Doctor Sweets, we have delayed coitus for far longer than many couples usually would. Whether or not this has any relation to incidents in our pasts, which I agree is a valid possibility, I would like to ask for your permission before attempting to evolve our relationship in this aspect."

Lexi laughed. "Zach, are you asking me for permission for you to seduce me?"

Zach opened and closed his mouth, flabbergasted and at a loss of what to say, before nodding mechanically.

"Well... I guess, permission granted."

Zach smiled in spite of himself, breathing a sigh of relief and relaxing his body. When Lexi continued to stare at him for a duration exceeding a minute, she said, "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you going to?"

"Going to what?"

"Seduce me." She stated bluntly.

"Oh." Zach paused. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Zach's lips crushed against hers, pushing her to lying flat on the bed. She immediately began to fumble with the buttons of his shirt, halfway through before Zach was attempting to pull her own over her head.

"Lexi?"

"Yeah, Zach?"

"Could you... assist me?" He looked ashamed of himself, but wasn't capable of pulling her shirt of himself.

"Oh... I suppose..." She slipped out of her white cotton and was left in only her bra and shorts, blushing.

"Well, don't just stare, Zach." Lexi snapped her head to the side, refusing to look into Zach's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lexi, but you are the most aesthetically pleasing woman I have ever seen."

And with that said, the two continued, spending the night away in bliss.

**So, due to family issues, I had to go live with my aunt at the start of this school year, who doesn't believe in internet and took away my computer -_- But hopefully I can update more often now. I won't update until at least 62 reviews have been submitted. And that's a promise I will keep, so you better review if you want more!**


	14. The Explosion in the Case

**Note: This chapter begins a new arc in the story (maybe one or two chapters), which is 'semi-cannon.' I have changed all of the major details, but the general plot is still essentially the same.**

Zach awoke the next morning, facing the opposite direction of his girlfriend. He rolled over and simply watched her breathing, her hair spread around her. The covers were pulled up to her chin, a habit Zach had noticed the several other times she had spent the night, although this past night had been very different.

Lexi stirred and her eyes fluttered open, quickly shutting again as they were met with the bright, Saturday morning light. Grudgingly, she rubbed her eyes and sat up, the covers slipping down to her waist and exposing her unclothed chest and stomach.

Noticing that Zach was awake and that she was half exposed, Lexi turned bright scarlet and scrambled to drag the covers back up conceal herself.

Zach, in turn, propped himself up on one elbow and scooted a bit closer to her. "Your embarrassment is unnecessary. We've already seen each other entirely-"

"I know, Zach, it's just, I don't know..." Truth be told, Lexi was self conscious about her stomach. She didn't think she was fat by any means, but there were still a couple of faded bruises and scars that would never heal.

"Your scars don't matter to me, Lexi."

"I know that."

The male asked the question he had been dreading all along. "Do you regret our actions from last night?"

"No! No, of course not, Zach!" She frantically cried, desperately trying to mend Zach's feelings. "Zach, last night was so... great..." Lexi planted a gentle kiss to Zach's lips.

Zach's lips grappled back to try to keep the kiss as Lexi pulled away, but he was unsuccessful as she broke the kiss. Lexi fingers rested gently on Zach's chest, and her eyes drifted shut as Zach asked, "So what would you like to do this weekend?"

"Hmm... I thought maybe we could stay in?" She asked persuasively, lips grazing Zach's neck.

"That sounds rather pleasing."

* * *

Lexi drove Zach and herself to work on Monday, pulling into the Jeffersonian parking structure and heading to their respectful work areas. They were currently all hands on board for the Gormogon case, and today Zach and Hodgins were going to do an experiment to replicate the dentures of the cannibal.

Lexi was humming gently to herself, looking the denture markings over herself. Zach had offered to do it, but she had insisted that Hodgins and Zach work on their experiment, to see if they both came to the same conclusion.

After nearly five minutes of staring in confusion, Lexi's jaw dropped wide open, and she thrust the negatives down onto the table, dashing down the hall to 'experiment room,' as they had so named it.

"Guys! You don't have to do your experiment- I found out what the dentures are made of!"

Hodgins pulled his hands out of the gloves just before dropping in the monomer that would have been added to the water. "Come on, Lexi, just let us at least try it. You can tell us after."

"But it's-"

"After!"

Lexi stamped her foot on the ground and sighed. "Fine. Just go already."

Zach stuck his hands through the gloves and spooned out the proper amount of monomer before he dropped it into the now boiling water.

And was blown backwards by the ensuing explosion.

Lexi and Hodgins had been standing at a fair enough distance that the glass wall had not fallen onto them. Instead, Zach was now stuck underneath its weight, his hands covered in blood, cuts and scratches grazing his unconscious face.

* * *

When Zach awoke later, in the emergency room, he found out that his hands were badly cut and mildly burned, as were other areas of his body. In total, he had had 29 stitches- not bad for a days work.

Lexi was wringing her hands together outside of Zach's room, waiting for the doctor to come out and say that she could see him.

Finally, after hours of waiting, she received the news she had been hoping for, leaping off of her seat, down the hall, and through his door. Lexi almost threw herself onto her boyfriend, but held herself back, knowing that he was already in quite a bit of pain.

"Zach, are you okay? What did they say? Where did the doctor go? I want to talk to her, you might not even understand, did you take your painkillers-"

"Lexi, I would appreciate it if you calmed down and slowed your train of thought." Zach told her. He watched as his girlfriend took a deep breath in, then another out. "Now, I'm clearly fine. My hands are cut and burned, but with proper care, my recovery should be quick without need for physical therapy. My doctor is briefing the rest of the team in the waiting room, where you should have been before rushing here. And no, I haven't taken my painkillers. Painkillers impair cognitive function."

Lexi sighed in relief. Zach was going to be okay, and that was all that really mattered.

"But Lexi, are you okay?" Zach inquired, noting the bandage on her forehead and wraps on her arms.

"Perfectly fine, just some glass fragments in my arms and a piece in my forehead. Nowhere near as bad as you. Take your painkillers." Lexi ordered, seeing Zach cringe in pain.

"It doesn't hurt." His semblance of being alright was overshadowed as Zach winced again.

"Bullshit. Where's that button?" Lexi glanced about, then spotted it on Zach's other side. She reached over and took it into her hand, pushing down twice before gently setting it into Zach's bandaged hands.

Zach's eyes drifted shut. "I... The drugs are... not helping me carry on a conversation."

Lexi planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Shh, it's alright. Sleep, then." She swore she saw a smile play at the edges of Zach's lips before he took her advice and drifted into dreamland.

* * *

The rest of the group entered later, once Zach had been moved from emergency care to ICU.

"How is he?" Angela murmured, placing hand on Lexi's shoulder. Lexi was sitting beside Zach's bed, her grasp on his wrist gentle, for his hands were bandaged, as he continued dozing.

"Still sleeping. I got him to take his painkillers a while ago, but he may need more when he wakes up. It just depends on how he's feeling."

Cam shook her head. "I don't understand how this could have happened. Honestly. It had to be somebody who worked in the lab, but that could be hundreds of people..."

Hodgins piped up, "Who had access to the 'experiment room?'"

Brennan now uttered, "It was unlocked, as is protocol. Anybody who works in the Medico-Legal lab could have done it. Anybody who even had access..."

The door slid open as Sweets and Booth rushed in, having had to report the incident to their boss, since technically the Jeffersonian worked for the FBI. Before either of them had a chance to say anything, though, Cam and Brennan glanced at each other warily. They both had complete access to the lab.

"Sorry guys, had to head over to headquarters. How's the little squint doing?" Booth said, nodding his head towards Zach.

Cam shook her head. "Somebody had to have done it from the inside. I mean, the lab is heavily secured..."

"Well, we should go back and see if we can review the tapes or more things from the Gormogon vault." Booth pulled out his cellphone to check the time and slid it back into his pocket.

Lexi looked up at her cousin from her seat next to Zach, who was beginning to stir back to consciousness. "We can't just leave him by himself. He'll get lonely."

Booth laughed. "He feels loneliness?"

"Shut up."

Angela piped up, "We can all take shifts. Lexi, you can take the first one-"

"No," She interrupted. "Somebody else should take it."

"Okay, I will then." Angela continued. "We can switch off every few hours, yeah?"

Cam said that she would write up a schedule, and everybody began to clear out. Lexi rubbed her hand up Zach's arm one last time before getting up and leaving him in Angela's care.

Moments after she had left, Zach woke and looked over to the woman next to him, expecting Lexi to still be there, but instead seeing Angela.

"Hey there, Zach. How are you doing?" she inquired.

"I had a dream that there was a skeleton. But it was on fire... and he grabbed my hands and they were burning... except for my left wrist, which was cool. Towards the end, I felt my entire left arm go cool, and then it started burning again, even my wrist..."

Angela looked down at the arm that Lexi had been holding, and couldn't bring herself not to smile.

* * *

"What do you mean the skeleton is gone?" Booth shouted at Hodgins.

"It just is! And there's no video footage because of the explosion, so the cameras turned off. There's no way of knowing where it went."

Everybody sighed, and went back to reviewing the footage, to the moments when nobody had been supervising the experiment room. Two interns had gone in and out, one woman and one man.

Booth slammed his fist down on the table.

"Got them!"

* * *

Twenty-four hours later, Brennan sat down at her computer and pulled up brand new scans of the dentures. She zoomed in and was flabbergasted by what she saw.

"Booth! Booth, get in here, now!" She screamed out of her open office door. Booth ran in from across the lab, panting just a bit when he screeched to a hault in front of her desk.

"What is it? I have to interrogate those two interns from before."

"These dentures... Zach made a mistake."

* * *

Cam sat with Zach in the ICU, reading him some sort of math equation out of a thick and yellowing book, when she felt somebody tap her on the shoulder.

Twisting around in her chair, Cam found herself looking into the dark and unfeeling eyes of a federal agent, dressed in his suit, but unlike Booth in the way that he had all black garments- no fun tie or socks.

"Ms. Saroyan, we're going to need you to leave."

"And why is that?"

As two more men came up behind him, he pointed at Zach. "This man is being charged with murder and as an accessory to murder."

**What? Haha, cliffhanger. Want the rest? 75 reviews, then.**  
**~SnowKoyuki13**  
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